


An Unlikely Alliance

by ApolloLoki97



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Chicago, Frost Giant Loki, Gen, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), KGB, Loki and Natasha are friends, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Thor: The Dark World, Red Room, Sort Of, deals are made, non romantic, unlikely partnership
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-07-30 17:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApolloLoki97/pseuds/ApolloLoki97
Summary: Loki returns to earth after the events of Age of Ultron to cause some mischief when he runs into Black Widow. Natasha, after agreeing to keep him a secret from her team, enlists him to help her with a mission in which his shapeshifting abilities will come in handy. The two of them work together to stop the creation of another Red Room project in America. With a flimsy deal between them and their past creating tension, will the two of them manage to finish the mission or will it all fall apart?------Or a story in which Loki and Natasha team up without the involvement of the rest of the Avengers.





	1. The Windy City

_ “Winter dwells around her heart, _

_ Frozen forever to the core. _

_ Sunshine forever did depart, _

_ And in her heart doth shine no more.” - Juan Olivarez _

Chicago in the middle of winter was the last place Natasha Romanoff wanted to be. 

However, when did she ever get what she wanted? The former spy stared at the laptop screen before her, a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her left hand found its way into her hair, scratching at her irritated scalp. She should have invested in a better quality wig, but she had to work with what she had.

Her tired eyes scanned the code that drifted across her screen. Most of it made sense, but other lines were so encrypted it would take her much longer to crack it and then translate it into English. Luckily, that would be the easier part as her Russian was still perfect as ever.

It had been three months since Ultron and Sokovia. The search for Bruce had gone cold and her days quickly became full of long hours of training the new recruits. Wanda was doing better since the death of her brother and she was settling in with the team well enough, but she had her rough days. Vision as well. Sam was the same, but his charisma made making friends much easier. As much as Natasha enjoyed being around her family which now oddly included a witch _ and _a robot, life didn’t just stop moving because the Avengers weren’t needed. 

It was the middle of the night, a couple of weeks before, that Natasha had received an encrypted message from one of her old contacts. She knew they wouldn’t reach out to her unless it was important or urgent. She had worked through the night, accessing the message through back channels, making it completely untraceable. What had reached her from across the globe sent rage through her.

According to her source, Soviet sympathizers were attempting to recruit young women in the United States to build their own version of the Red Room. However, this time, they would be radicalized American citizens rather than born and bred Russians. Two days later, with a vague explanation to Steve, Natasha headed to the Windy City. She had a faint idea that traffickers were in the city, but it wasn’t until she touched down and got to work that she managed to get a good idea of the underground of Chicago and what was going on within the black market.

Natasha asked the right questions to the right people over the dark web and found her big dealers. Yerik Viktorov, Samara Stepanov, and Andrei Sobakin were held up in a penthouse along the Chicago River. Nat had seen the lavish building on her morning walk. She managed to photograph the entrance discreetly with the help of her disguise and some of Stark’s technology that she hoped he wouldn’t be missing right now. 

Since she had exposed her past to the world a year before, undercover work was not as easy as it once was. Especially since joining the Avengers and of course her face had been plastered on news screens since the Sokovia tragedy. She was just glad that Steve, Tony, and Thor tended to get more airtime these days.

A quick phone call to her teammates back in Upstate New York would take care of the Russians in a windy afternoon. However, Natasha was not sure how deep their current network went and if she were to expose herself now, they could just bury things even more or tip-off another sect in the States. She had to be smart about this one.

Her eyes strayed from her screen and to her phone that was on the table before her. Since she had arrived in Chicago, she had gone dark. Her friends knew this, but a part of her knew they were going to be worried. She had promised Steve that if she didn’t check in after two months to send in the calvary. It had only been two weeks, but Rogers was most definitely checking the news for any mention of the Black Widow.

Natasha leaned back into the old couch, stretching out her back. She had been holed up in the old hotel all day and while the ugly wallpaper and leaky pipes may entice some people, it wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed. Perhaps living the Stark lifestyle had finally taken its toll. That thought alone made her mind drift back to the last conversation she had had with Tony. She had called him for advice on Wanda a month before. 

“I’m not sure I’m the best person to be asking on how to handle Maximoff, Nat,” Tony had said. 

“You’re good with kids,” Natasha had asked as she tied her boots, getting ready for yet another training session. 

“Who told you that?” 

“Well, you met that kid in Tennessee, right?” 

“By accident…” Tony had sounded exasperated and Natasha knew he and Pepper had been going through some tough times. That made her feel a bit guilty about calling him. “Why don’t you ask Barton? He’s the only one _ with _kids. Besides, Wanda isn’t really a kid. She’s what? Seventeen?” 

“You’re no help, you know that?” 

“My helplessness and you’re wonderful candor is the basis of our friendship, Romanoff. Make the witch explode some stuff and teach her to be stealthy when needed and you’ll be good. Gotta run, don’t blow up my building.” He had ended the call immediately after and oddly enough, their quick conversation had given her a few ideas.

“I could really use some of your incessant babbling right now, Tony,” Natasha muttered as her eyes watched a battered ceiling fan spin above her. She had a plan, well, she had the beginning of a plan. There was a big event in a few weeks where the Russians would be meeting with their US contacts under the guise of a charity gala. Romanoff needed to secure an invite under her fake name.

However, if any of them had connections to her previous employers, they would notice her if she wasn’t careful. As of right now, Natasha was at a crossroads with her plan to infiltrate and all of it was making her head spin.

She needed to get out of the hotel. Natasha typed away at her computer, checking the local news before grabbing her wig and her coat and headed into the cold of Chicago.

Natasha slipped on her glasses, the ones she had “borrowed” from Stark. With F.R.I.D.A.Y. disabled, she accessed the x-ray abilities and kept an eye on her surroundings. It didn’t surprise her the amount of concealed weapons that were on the street, she had a fair amount on her own person. She headed down W 25th Street, heading for California Blvd that would take her to the river where hopefully her previous night’s recon would come in handy. 

Romanoff had spotted unmarked vehicles and what looked to be informants around Riveredge Park. She only hoped that criminals still remained creatures of habit. Natasha hugged her jacket closer. “Could this damn city get any colder?” she muttered under her breath. It was as if overnight Chicago had decided it was trying to be the new Moscow. Ironic, she thought.

Romanoff made it to the park quickly enough even with her toes freezing in her boots. Tapping on the side of her glasses, she scanned for the familiar faces of the previous night. The Pavillion was packed with concert goes and she had no idea why people would want to attend an outdoor event in this weather.

Natasha headed around back, keep her head lowered, but eyes peeled. Just as she went to turn the corner, she ran into someone. Or rather, they had stepped into her path. Natasha glanced up and was met with the barrel of a .45. “Empty your pockets and give me your wallet.” Natasha sized up the man before her. He was about Steve’s height, but less bulky. He was wearing a dark green beanie with a black jacket. His nose was red from the cold. “Did you hear what I said, bitch? Give your wallet!” Natasha took off the glasses in case she damaged them after she finished with the thug. 

“You could have said please,” Natasha said calmly, changing her voice slightly to be just barely unrecognizable. The mugger’s brows pulled together slightly at her calm nature. Then, Natasha struck. With a few quick maneuvers, she had the gun in her hand, turning the safety on a second later.

“What the hell?” the thug gasped for a second before lunging at her. Natasha easily side-stepped the man and using his own momentum, she swiped her leg underneath him, sending him to the cold ground. 

He got back up with a switchblade in his hand. He lunged again. Natasha met his advance, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind him, snatching the knife from his hand. She buried it in his bicep. Not a fatal wound, but it would put him on his couch for a few days. He groaned in pain, but still went for her again. Nat pulled the knife out, landing a solid punch to the injury causing him to yell out in pain. Another jab to his throat to silence him and then a swift kick to his chest sent him down and he didn’t get back up.

“This is why mugging random people never works out,” Natasha said with a frown. He spat blood on the ground. She looked away in disgust. “Mind if I hold onto this?” she asked, holding up his pistol. He went to curse at her when she knocked him over the head with his own gun. It was a decent piece. She tucked it into her holster under her jacket. “I hate Chicago,” Natasha whispered.

As she went to leave she noticed three people standing across the sidewalk from her. They must have fifteen or sixteen, all three of them boys. Nat pulled on her glasses and noticed all three of them were carrying. She then caught a tattoo on one of their hands. It was the same as the runner she had seen the night before. They were using kids. “Damnit,” she swore. Then one of the kids took out his phone and snapped a photo. 

She was well-secluded in the shadows so it probably wasn’t the best quality and her disguise hadn’t failed her yet. However, any evidence was a problem. The boys ran off after that, leaving Natasha and an unconscious wannabe criminal deserted on a sidewalk. She had a split second to make a decision to follow them and risk her identity or make herself scarce. She chose option two.

Natasha ducked into the closest public bathroom. After making sure she was alone, she bolted the door and slung the bag off her shoulders. As if it was rehearsed, she changed her disguise. She stripped off her jacket, turning it inside out, double-checking her weapons before shrugging her coat back on her shoulders.

Pulling her black wig from her head, she replaced it with a blonde one, braiding it over one shoulder. Her contacts went from brown to one brown and one green. With a quick swipe of red lipstick and a new scarf around her neck, she looked different enough to get back to her hotel. Natasha completed the look with a black hat and some new gloves. 

She shoved everything back in her pack, replaced her glasses and exited the bathroom without a single look back. Romanoff blended into the concert-goers seamlessly. It was now that she wished she hadn’t gone alone on this one. It would have been nice to have some eyes up top checking to see if she was being followed. She’d have to do it the old fashion way then. 

Natasha milled around the park for a little while longer, browsing at the merch stands, getting a feel for the crowd. Then just as the second set started on stage, she made her way out of the park and up W 31st, keeping a steady pace. She used reflections and the occasional confused tourist look to check behind her, but after retracing her steps three times, she felt confident that if someone had been tailing her, she had lost them. 

On her way back to her shabby hotel, Natasha ducked into an internet cafe a few blocks away. She wanted to check the local news for any missing teenagers and while kids ditched home a lot these days, there had to be some sort of pattern. She realized she could have easily done this back in her room, but the idea of the hotel room wasn’t too desirable at the moment.

Natasha ordered a coffee and found a computer near the back. Keeping her head low, she accessed the local archives and newsfeeds. According to public record, there had been seven missing person reports made by parents of minors just in the last few days. All between the ages of fourteen and seventeen but from different areas of the cities. There was no obvious connection between the missing kids, but Natasha knew that there had to be one even if it was minor.

While she wrote down a few areas to check out, she overheard a conversation from the people in front of her. “I swear they’re going to get us all killed one of these days,” a young woman was saying. 

“You’re being unfair. The Avengers protect us,” her friend said and Natasha’s pen stilled. This wasn’t the first time she had overheard the public’s opinion about the team and usually, she didn’t bother listening to it, but her curiosity got the best of her. 

“They cause destruction and what happens after? Stark signs a check,” the first girl scoffed.

“If we didn’t have them, think about what would have happened during the alien invasion.” 

“If we didn’t have the Avengers, there never would have been an alien invasion, Anna.”

“You don’t know that,” Anna said softly. “They’re heroes, Rita.” Natasha smiled slightly. She decided that she liked Anna. 

“All I’m saying is that the next time something happens, we may not be so lucky,” Rita said, her voice full of doubt. Just then, the cafe shook around them slightly as if lightning had struck it. “What was that?” 

“Probably a large truck or something,” Anna said. “Or an earthquake. I don’t know. Can we get back to the topic at hand?” Anna went on, but Natasha wasn’t listening. That didn’t feel like an earthquake. Natasha pulled out her phone and checked for seismic activity and sure enough, not even a slight tremor. 

Romanoff packed up her stuff and quickly left the cafe, making sure to stay in the blindspots of the cameras and wiping everything she had entered on the computer. As she entered the cold evening, something felt off in the air. The average person wouldn’t have noticed it, but when you had seen the things that an Avenger had, you start to pay attention.

Natasha kept a firm grip on the blade in her sleeve as she walked toward her hotel. She instantly clocked the person that was following her. Romanoff kept calm, keeping her tread light. While she knew that someone was tailing her, she didn’t know who or what it was. However, there was one thing she was certain about, it wasn’t a Russian. 

After another six blocks, she was well past her hotel. The air grew colder, making her breath thick before her. The road was icy beneath her boots and her whole body seemed to drop in temperature as she walked. The streets were getting more deserted by the time she made it to a church that looked as if it had been recently closed. She slipped around back, keeping to the shadows and waited. 

By just the sound of their footsteps, Natasha could tell they were tall, wearing boots, and maybe wearing a heavy coat. A chilled wind flew through her wig, icy air caressing her forehead. She drew her blade and planted her feet. She had been trained well and Natasha knew the difference between a mugging and an attack.

She waited. 

Just as her stalker came around the side of the church, she whirled on them. Landing a knee in their chest and shoving them back against the brick wall, she placed the blade at their throat roughly. However, just as her knife hit their throat, a sliver of steel bit into her own. Their breath mingled for just a second before her assailant spoke, “Always a pleasure, Agent Romanoff.”

Natasha stilled and leaned back ever so slightly to look at the man she had pinned to the church. In the low glow of the street light, a sly grin met her eyes. His onyx hair shagged around his face and his green eyes seemed to glow brighter as his smile widened. Not a thug or a Russian, but the God of Mischief himself.

Natasha had caught herself an Odinson. One that was supposed to be dead.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” 


	2. Natasha's Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha offers Loki a deal

_"Don't ask the question on your lips, _  
_Don't voice the thoughts inside your mind..." - Juan Olivarez_

“The last time we were this close, there was a very thick wall of glass between us.” Natasha shoved her knife further into his throat. 

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Natasha sneered. 

“Funny story…”

“What the hell are you doing here, Loki? Why are you following me?” Natasha said, pressing harder. 

“You know it's going to take a lot more strength to do any real damage with that little letter opener you have there,” Loki commented, his eyes tracking the blade. 

“I’m very patient,” she retorted. 

“Yes, I remember.” Natasha pushed away from him and the knife in his hand disappeared instantly. She lashed out at him, hooking her leg around his and aiming a blow towards his sternum. Loki grabbed her arm before she could make contact and took her to the ground. Natasha kneed him in the groin and Loki fell to the side, she wrapped a leg around him, grabbing his arm, ready to dislocate. A second later and Natasha was pushed off him.

Nat threw a blade towards him that he easily dodged. She took a running start and swung up onto his shoulders in her traditional take-down move. Loki took hold of her, trying to block her punches. He grabbed her by the back of her jacket and threw her from his shoulders. Natasha rolled out of the fall seamlessly, getting back to her feet in an instant. Disheveled, Loki raised his palms before him. “If you keep this up, one of us is going to end up hurt and it won’t be me,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she said, her breathing labored. Nat’s fists clenched at her sides as she glared at the god before her.

“You’re angry,” Loki said, clearly amused. “And you look like you want to shoot me. Which in hindsight would cause a bit more damage than a knife, but I’m quite quick on my feet these days.” 

“What are you doing here?” Natasha asked again. “That little tremor earlier was you wasn’t it? The Bifrost?” Loki rolled his eyes.

“There are other ways to get to Earth besides the rainbow bridge. Not very discreet and the new guy I have running it isn’t exactly gatekeeper material,” Loki said, thinking back to his newest recruit back on Asgard. 

“Thor said you died. He saw your body,” Natasha reminded him. Loki waved off her comment, straightening his coat. 

“I’ve died before,” he said with a shrug, “he really needs to stop being so gullible.” This time Natasha did pull her gun. 

“Last chance, Loki. What are you doing here?” Loki pushed off the wall and walked past her, her gun trained on him the entire time. 

“I don’t have to explain myself to you, Romanoff. Can’t a god go for a walk amongst the human race now and then?”

“Not when said god instigated an alien invasion on them,” Natasha retorted. 

“Fair enough,” Loki said, not sounding a single bit guilty. “That whole deal was quite messy, you know? I’ve already been slapped and berated by one Midgardian for it so why don’t we let bygones be bygones.” 

“You made my best friend kill for you in your sick crusade,” Natasha bit out. 

“Ah yes, how is Agent Barton these days? Does he still have his head?” Natasha raised her gun higher but it was snatched out of her hand by a single flutter of Loki’s fingers. He now held the pistol in his hand looking at it curiously. “Such rage, such violence.”

“I’m not playing games here. You were following me. Why? Just so you can taunt me?” 

“Again, I don’t need to explain myself to you, Miss Romanoff,” Loki said, handing her back her gun. She took it tentatively, making sure it was still loaded with the safety off. “The more interesting question is why you’re out here without the rest of the colorful brigade following a bunch of Midgardian children. Why don’t you enlighten me on that?” 

“It’s really none of your business,” Natasha said, holstering her weapon. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, Loki was right. If he had wanted to hurt her, a gun wouldn’t be able to stop him. “And how do you know I’m here alone?”

“If one of your friends were here I’d either have a very large and patriotic man standing before me or Stark would have me in his sights with one of his many barbaric inventions. You’re out here by yourself. I thought it was odd so here I am,” Loki explained. 

“You’re a nightmare,” Natasha said.

_ “You’re a nightmare,” _Loki mocked as he shifted into Natasha. She balked as she stared at herself. “Unnerving isn’t it?” Loki as Natasha said. “At least that’s what I’ve been told.” 

“Stop it,” Nat snapped. Loki laughed but obliged as he shifted back into himself. And although he was irritating and infuriating her to no end, that slight display of his magic had given the former spy an idea. One that would not only get her what she wanted but it would also ensure that none of her plans blew back on her or the Avengers. She only had to convince Loki to go along with it. In her experience with the god, asking never really worked. 

“You look like you’re overthinking something,” Loki observed. 

“I’m trying to decide whether to call Fury or Rogers about your sudden appearance,” Natasha said casually. “Steve may be a bit more lenient with you, but Fury would be more interesting. Though, you already know that. And once they know you’re alive and on Earth, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out and then I wouldn’t put it past anything in this crazy world when it comes to communicating with the rest of the galaxy. So, it would most likely get back to your brother wherever he is at some point.” 

“Are you blackmailing me, Agent Romanoff?” Loki asked as a smile spread across his face.

“I’m just informing you about what will be happening,” Natasha said with a slight shrug. 

“You’d be unconscious before you even pulled out the device from your pocket.”

“And here I thought we were getting along,” Natasha said, crossing her arms. Loki’s demeanor shifted then. He looked less relaxed and more on his guard. His mouth was set and his shoulders went back. She hadn’t realized how the tall the god was and in the darkness of the alleyway in which they stood, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

There were very few people that got her worried. Just in the past few years that list included the Winter Soldier, Ultron, and the man before her. The last time they had talked, she had had the upper hand. Natasha was able to trick the trickster into telling her his plans when it came to Bruce. But this was different. Loki was different and she wasn’t sure what it was.

“Do you drink?” Natasha suddenly asked. Loki looked at her in confusion. 

“What?” 

“Alcohol, whiskey, rum, do you drink it?” Loki slowly nodded, not quite understanding. “Great, come on,” Nat said as she led him away from the church. 

“Hold on, Romanoff,” Loki said, as he stepped into her path. Nat waited for him to continue. “A moment ago you had multiple weapons pulled on me, were threatening to call your flag-bearing mascot on me, and now you want to have a drink? Explain.” 

“Does there have to be an explanation?” Natasha simply asked. 

“Humor me.” Nat sighed and placed her hands in her pockets. 

“I want answers, Loki. Answers that will most likely take some time explaining and I don’t feel like standing out in this tundra of a city much longer. So, you can either be on your way and I’ll call you in or you can join me for a drink and finally stop dancing around my questions.”

“And how do I know you’re not going to try to slit my throat again?” Loki inquired. 

“As you said, I’d be unconscious before I tried anything. I wasn’t stupid enough to go up against your brother, not even in training. I think I get the gist of what Asgardians are capable of.” Loki narrowed his eyes slightly at the woman before him, trying to guess what she was thinking, but not even Loki could get past Natasha Romanoff’s skilled poker face. 

“After you,” Loki said, stepping to the side. Natasha reluctantly turned her back to him, but through her glasses, she kept him in her peripheral as they walked back towards the hotel.

* * *

The little voice in Natasha’s head said that this was the worst idea she had ever had.

However, logic said that this didn’t even make the top ten. Loki Odinson was in her shabby hotel room looking as if he’d rather be locked back in a glass cage than sit on the dusty couch or lean against the rotted walls. “Did Stark suddenly lose his fortune?” Loki asked as he flicked some dust from his jacket. 

“I’m undercover,” she said as she slipped off her coat and headed for the cabinet above the sink. 

“As what? A serial killer?” Loki muttered as he looked at the gear on the table. Natasha rolled her eyes, pulling out the bottle of scotch she had brought with her. She poured Loki a glass and joined him at the table. He took it from her.

“For a god of Asgard, you do seem to know a lot of Midgardian terms and even more about Earthen society,” Natasha pointed out, taking a swig from the bottle. Loki took a sip from his drink. 

“I’ve been alive for a long time, Miss Romanoff. Three years ago was not my first time on Midgard.” 

“I suppose that makes sense,” Natasha said. “So, start talking.” Loki pulled out a chair he deemed worthy enough for a prince and took a seat, propping his feet up on her table. 

“What would you like to know?” 

“What happened to you after London?” Natasha asked, leaning against a support column. “Thor told us that he broke you out of prison to help him save Jane. He was then very vague about what happened with the Dark Elves on Svartalfheim. He just said you died and that he had to leave your body. So, help me fill in the blanks here.”

Loki took another sip of his drink and then with a wave of his hand, his glass instantly refilled. “Well, to understand what happened, you need to know this,” Natasha waited, “My father is a horrid man.”

“Thor always gave Odin high praise,” countered Natasha. 

“It’s easy to praise a man who never saw you as a disappointment or a key to win a war,” Loki said bitterly. He saw the confusion on Natasha’s face and continued. “I was adopted into the royal family. My...origin is Frost Giant. So I became a bargaining chip for my father. He’d rather see me in chains than on the throne so I did the one thing I thought would make him happy, I left. Now, of course, I ended up coming right back as Thor dragged me home to Asgard after a failed attempt at world domination. However, that’s not the point here. The point is that Odin is not a king, he’s a tyrant dripping in gold that was won with the blood of the Nine Realms. And so, he had to go.” 

“You murdered your father?” Natasha asked, the bottle stilling at her lips.

“Not exactly,” Loki said, “I murdered his legacy and took his spot.” Natasha gently put the bottle down on the table and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“When you say you took his spot…” Nat began, “you mean…” Loki smiled and in a flash of green, a much older man sat before her. He was broad-shouldered, much heavier than Loki with white hair and a golden eye patch over his right eye. The man before her was definitely not what she had imagined when she thought of Thor’s father. “You’re pretending to be Odin...for what? Spite?” Loki shifted back into himself.

“Partly,” Loki agreed. “With Thor gone, someone needed to rule Asgard and Odin was the last person we needed on the throne.” 

“And back to where you say you didn’t commit patricide?” Natasha asked. 

“You really think I killed my father?” Loki asked. 

“You’ve tried to kill your brother on multiple occasions,” she pointed out. Loki smirked at that. 

“I was never _ actually _going to kill him,” Loki clarified. Natasha waited. “Odin is fine. Where he is, well that will remain my business.” Natasha crossed her arms.

“And how are you certain that I won’t tell Thor about your little trick?” Natasha asked, picking up the bottle again. 

“You humans are surprisingly smart, but unless Thor willingly comes back to Earth, you won’t be able to contact him,” Loki said.

“Alright, let me see if I have this right,” Natasha began, “you faked your death, again, and instead of going off and living a life where you could do absolutely anything, you made your father disappear and took up the mantel of King on Asgard partly out of spite. And now you rule your realm because you think Asgard and the Nine Realms deserve better and you actually care about the inhabitants. Was that about it?” 

“Yes, I believe you understand quite well,” he agreed.

Natasha leaned forward, resting her hands on the arms of his chair. “That sounds like absolute bullshit to me,” she whispered. Loki suddenly stood from his chair, making Romanoff step backward.

“This is the problem with you Midgardians,” Loki sneered. “You see everything the way you want to. Just because one thing was one way does not mean it stays that way.” 

“Are you saying you’ve changed from the egomaniacal murderer I met three years ago?” Natasha challenged, slamming the bottle onto the table. “Thor may be open to forgiving you every time you screw up, Loki, but I don’t tend to forget when I’ve seen a madman slaughter people.” Loki stared down at her and it was as if the room became colder. Her hand slid to her waistband. 

“You have no idea what happened that year. You only know what you saw,” Loki said, his voice deadly low.

“So tell me,” Natasha said, “if there is more to the story, why don’t you stop playing the victim and start telling the truth Odinson?” 

“Don’t call me that,” Loki snapped. 

“Right because Odin’s not your father. Then is Thor not your brother? Is Frigga not your mother?” Loki whirled on Natasha, grabbing her by the throat and pressing her into the support column.

“Do not talk about my mother,” Loki breathed out. His voice was not full of venom as Natasha had expected. Instead, there was almost a crack in it as if the mere thought of the Queen was enough to bring the god to his knees. Nat slowly grasped the hand at her throat and then pulled away as Loki’s skin was ice cold. That’s when she felt the coolness in her throat.

“Okay,” she said gently, “okay.” Loki seemed to come back into himself and let her go. Romanoff coughed slightly, rubbing the heat back into her skin. “Tell me one more thing then.” Loki looked over his shoulder at her. “If you’re not here to hurt people, why did you come?”

Loki stood at the frosted window, watching the Chicago skyline. Natasha waited, careful not to set off the man again. “I was looking for Jane Foster,” Loki said after a moment. 

“Jane? Why? What do you want with her?” Natasha had never met the woman that had stolen Thor’s heart. She only knew what the god of thunder had told her and what she had read in the physicist’s files that Coulson had. Jane Foster was a genius and had been the first person to study most of the phenomenons attributed to Asgard. 

“Jane Foster knows my brother and she knows the science of the universe. I was hoping that she had an idea of where he was. Perhaps maybe he had told her where he was going,” Loki admitted. This surprised Natasha as much as anything. She knew that Thor and Loki cared for each other, but she would have thought Loki would be glad to have his brother out of his hair.

“Why would you need to find him?” Natasha asked. 

“Thor is strong, stronger than he knows,” Loki explained, “but there are things out there that he doesn’t know about. Before I sent our gatekeeper away, he told me that Thor was looking for infinity stones.” 

“He is,” Natasha confirmed. “After the three we’ve encountered, he’s searching for the rest of them.” 

“He shouldn’t be!” Loki said harshly. 

“Why not?” Natasha asked, trying to keep him talking before he shut down again. 

“Let’s just say that he’s not the only one looking for them and leave it at that,” Loki said. 

“So you want to warn him?” Natasha asked. 

“I want him to stop being the idiot that he is and just leave things alone before he gets himself and the rest of the universe killed,” Loki rushed out. Natasha observed the man before her. She saw the many facets of Loki. The tortured soul she saw that day in New York, the confident Silvertongue she met on the helicarrier, and now the lost king. He may have sat on the throne, but Natasha had a feeling his crown was more of a curse at the moment. 

“Jane and Thor aren’t involved anymore,” she explained. Loki turned to face her, confused. “She broke it off around the time we had an incident here. It was too much for her. However, I am still able to contact her and she may have some sort of idea on what to do.” 

“And you’re going to do that? Contact her, just like that?” Loki asked and Natasha pursed her lips. “You want something. I should have guessed,” Loki sighed. “Very well, out with it.” 

“I want to make a deal, Loki,” Natasha began, “I won’t call my team on you and I will help you find Jane if you help me finish the job I came here to do. I’ve encountered a problem and your shapeshifting abilities would greatly come in handy.” 

“You want me to play hero with you?” Loki asked, his brows high. 

“Just because one thing was one way does not mean it stays that way,” Natasha quoted. “It’s a fair deal.” 

“What’s the job?” Loki asked. 

“My enemy is using children to recruit members into an undercover spy organization similar to the one I was trained in. There is an event coming up that I need to attend in order to take out the leaders. Having an infallible disguise and a god at my side wouldn’t be the worst idea. You get me into that party, help me take them down, and find out what they’re doing next and I’ll get you to Doctor Foster.”

“I could find her on my own,” Loki pointed out. 

“Probably, but you’d have to do it with a whole team of Avengers on your tail. We’ve acquired a few new members recently. One, in particular, was powered by that fancy scepter of yours and she packs quite a punch. So the way I see it, you have two options. Help me and get what you want or take your chances against a girl who can summon psionic energy strong enough to level a town. Your choice.”

“Why should I care about a few measly Midgardians?” 

“Because you need _ this _Midgardian to help you and Jane won’t talk to just you,” Natasha said pointing at herself. Loki sighed, weighing his options. He glanced back out the window and his eyes caught movement on the rooftop across the street, he looked back just as a crimson mark appeared on Natasha’s forehead. “What?” Natasha asked, confused by his sudden change in expression. Loki didn’t answer her, instead, grabbed her, taking her to the floor just a bullet shattered the window behind them. 

* * *

Broken glass was dusted across the floor as the window broke around them.

Loki was a lot heavier than she had expected. He pushed himself up onto his forearms to see a very surprised Natasha beneath him. “Don’t think this means anything,” Loki said. 

“Right,” Nat said with a nod. Another shot went off and they rolled to opposite sides. “Under the couch!” Natasha ordered. Loki ducked down and from under the sofa pulled out a fully-assembled rifle. He slid it to her across the floor and Nat rolled over to the window as another shot rang out. The scope on the rifle was equipped with Stark technology. Something that Tony had made for her after what had happened in D.C. a year before. 

Romanoff lined up the scope and with the infrared provided by her weapon, took the shot. The oncoming fire from her enemy ceased immediately. “Thanks, Tony,” Nat whispered to herself. Peering through the scope, she scanned nearby rooftops for any more movement. She knew that she only had minutes before the police showed up. Once Natasha figured it was only a lone sniper, she pulled out of her crouch and shut the curtains.

Romanoff then got to work. Loki watched as the woman tore through her room, packing up her things. It took her less time than he would have thought to gather everything. She checked her wig, pulled on her jacket, and then looked at Loki expectantly. “Are you just going to stand there or do you mind grabbing my rifle case?” 

“I suppose I am to come with you?” Loki asked, crossing his arms. 

“Me or Cap, Loki. Take your pick.” With an annoyed sigh, Loki grabbed her weapon and she pulled on her backpack, slung her duffle over her shoulder, and did one last sweep of the room. She grabbed the scotch on the way out.

Natasha checked the hallway, but it didn’t seem like her neighbors were that keen to check out who was shooting at their hotel. “This way,” Natasha instructed. Loki followed her through the hotel until they found the service elevator. Romanoff had noticed this when she had checked in. It was out of order, but the shaft was still accessible. She tried the doors but they wouldn’t budge. Natasha could now hear sirens in the distance. “Little assistance here, Your Highness?” Natasha asked, looking over at Loki who was leaning against the wall, clearly bored. 

“Of course,” Loki mocked as he handed her the rifle case and with barely any effort, pried open the doors with a quick pull. He took the case back just as Natasha peered down the cavern that was at least a four-story drop. 

“I’ll go first,” Natasha said, but before she could even attempt to climb down, Loki took hold of her around the waist and then, he jumped. The world whipped past her as they fell and then there was only the sound of clanging metal. Natasha opened her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she had shut them. She pushed away from Loki, catching her breath. “Little warning next time.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Loki said. Natasha glared at him, cursing his brother in her head. They had landed on top of the out-of-service elevator. Romanoff pulled open the emergency hatch and dropped inside. Loki followed right after. She didn’t have to ask as Loki was already opening the doors. Natasha activated her glasses and scanned her surroundings.

The elevator opened to just behind the kitchen. Natasha could hear the staff on the opposite side of the double doors as well as the sirens that had grown louder. Loki knocked her shoulder. He was pointing to a door at the other side of the hall that led to the loading dock. Natasha nodded and they quickly pushed through it. The cold air hit her like a wave and she really wished for once that the bad guys chose warmer climates.

Police lights flickered in the dark and without a word, Natasha turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction. Loki followed her soundlessly and the two disappeared into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kind words on chapter one of this story. I have a pretty good idea of what this story is going to become. 
> 
> Couple things:
> 
> No, this is not a ship story. Nothing romantic will happen between Loki and Natasha
> 
> Loki does have access to some of his frost giant abilities in this story because he was nerfed in the MCU and deserved better 
> 
> Another Avenger may show up at some point at the end, but I have no plans at the moment to involve any other main MCU character to their mission. 
> 
> Happy reading!


	3. Commotion and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Natasha make a deal and come across a messy situation.

_"Be silent quote not any quipts, _   
_And walk away, leave her behind." - _ _Juan Olivarez_

They had walked for two hours. 

Natasha was freezing, but she had to make sure nobody was following them. She clearly missed something on her way back from the church. She knew it was because she had been distracted by the sudden appearance of Loki. She also knew it could not happen again. 

Anytime she had glanced over at him he seemed completely unbothered by the weather or their situation. Natasha argued with herself about what had just happened. Obviously, she was grateful he had saved her from receiving a hole in her forehead, but she also knew he wouldn’t want her gratitude, at least she didn’t think so. They were both incredibly stubborn, but at least their similar nature didn’t call for small talk as they headed for a new place to stay. 

Natasha had chosen a few places when she had first arrived in the city for this exact reason. It was something that Clint had helped her perfect. While working for the KGB, she was always given safe houses that were stocked with what she needed. When she was working solely for S.H.I.E.L.D. it was a similar situation. However, now she was working on her own and Barton had taught her how to scout buildings she could use when she was out of options. It was one of his more important teachings, Natasha thought. 

Another half an hour and Natasha signaled for Loki to follow her down a side street. Shadows of people watched in the dark, but Natasha didn’t pay them any mind. If one was stupid enough to try to attack her and her walking partner, then they deserved their fate. Natasha led them up a fire-escape on the side of an old industrial-style building. The window of the loft was still unlocked as she had left it.

“Breaking and entering,” Loki said, breaking the brisk silence, “how very un-Avenger of you.” Natasha rolled her eyes as she crawled into the loft. Loki landed softly behind her. 

“Nobody lives here. It’s been abandoned for months.”

“Perfect,” Loki commented, “another luxurious lodging experience.” Natasha dropped her bags roughly to the floor.

“You are more than welcome to return to the hotel where you could get shot at again,” Natasha said. Loki placed the rifle case down, drawing the curtains closed behind him. 

“They were shooting at you, not me,” Loki pointed out. “You’re welcome by the way.” Natasha’s jaw went tight. 

“Thank you,” she gritted out. Loki winked at her and started to walk around the space. It was a studio loft. Only two rooms, the main space and then the bathroom. It was clearly used by squatters in the past but looked as if nobody had taken up residence in quite a while. Natasha pulled sheets off furniture and was somewhat satisfied with the condition of the bed as she lay down. Being on her feet for hours in the freezing cold was not her ideal situation. Loki had taken to the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table before him. 

Natasha was starving and she remembered the only things in her stomach was coffee and scotch. Not the healthiest of diets. Yet, she had no desire to leave the loft at the moment. Food would have to wait until tomorrow. “We’re farther from the target, but this will have to do,” Natasha said as her eyes drifted closed. 

“What have you gotten yourself into Romanoff?” Loki asked and for the first time in the hours since that she had held a knife to his throat, Loki sounded as if he was actually expecting a serious answer. Natasha pushed herself up onto her forearms. Loki had his arms resting on his knees as he looked at her.

“I already told you,” Natasha reminded him. 

“You were a bit vague, run it by me again,” said Loki. Natasha sat all the way up, tucking a leg under her as she took off her wig and rolled out her neck.

“When I was a child,” Natasha began, “I was sent to this place in Russia. They called it the Red Room. Children are raised to be master assassins and we have no choice in the matter. We are taught to kill, hide, track, hack, anything you need to know to be the perfect killer. That’s where I gained the name Black Widow. Though you already know about this, don’t you? You knew when we first met.” 

“Only what I had learned from Barton while he was under my control,” Loki explained. “ Yes, I know this. What I would like to know is what is going on now? You seem smart enough not to get a sniper on your tail.” 

“Usually I am,” Natasha said. “However, I became distracted.” Natasha looked up at Loki who nodded slowly. “I’ve just been out of sorts lately and because of that, someone managed to follow me. I don’t know if there were more or if we were followed here.” 

“We were not,” Loki said. “I would have noticed.” Natasha nodded, taking his word for it surprisingly. “So, you have found another one of these Red Rooms in this city?”

“The beginnings of one, yes. I have three major targets that I will be focusing on. I take out the big players and I can make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else. Children deserve to be more than pawns in a war.”

“Yes,” Loki said quietly, “they do.” They were silent for a moment, letting everything from the last few hours settle in. A part of Natasha was hoping that Loki could connect with anything she was saying. He was her only plan at the moment and if they didn’t get something in motion soon, the Russians would move on and if she knew them as well as she thought, they wouldn’t leave a trail for her to follow. It would take months to get information on the operation.

“I can’t do this by myself,” Natasha admitted. “I guess I’m just used to having someone on my six, watching my back. We don’t have to like each other, but if you’re willing…” Natasha trailed off. 

“What about your team? Isn’t watching your back their job?” Loki asked. Natasha grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. 

“I needed a break,” explained Natasha. “Things have been different since Bruce left. Things are not what they were. I’m not one to like change all that much.” Loki put up his hand. 

“Hold on, where did Bruce go?” Loki asked. “I thought him and Stark were attached to one another these days.” Natasha raised a brow. “Thor told me things occasionally before my untimely demise.” 

“We had a battle, the Hulk was brought out by force and before I could calm him down, something happened. We’re not sure what and then he just flew off in a jet to God knows where.” 

“The man or the green one?” 

“The Hulk,” Natasha clarified. 

“Didn’t think that beast had a mind of its own,” Loki said, slightly surprised. 

“He’s evolving,” explained Natasha. “We’re not even sure if he’s on Earth at this point. Tony can’t find him, neither can Fury. Besides, none of my...friends are who I need for something like this. Barton maybe, but he has a family that he needs to take care of.” 

“What about Rogers? He always seems to be in the helping mood,” Loki said. 

“Steve would want to take charge, run this like a military operation. I can’t have that. This needs to be handled with deception and I have to take them down without anybody knowing it was me or that they were ever in this city,” Natasha explained. 

“Which is why you offered me your deal,” Loki figured.

“That deal is still on the table,” Natasha pressed. “I help you, you help me.” Loki leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other. “You can change the appearance of others, right?”

“I can,” Loki nodded. “Though most people do not like when I place my magic on them. My brother is one of the exceptions.” 

“I’m not most people,” Natasha said. “This was my idea. I think I can handle it.” 

“Don’t be so sure, Miss Romanoff. Magic is not something any human can handle,” Loki said. He didn’t sound condescending, in fact, his words sounded like a sincere warning. “Besides, my magic is not something that can be hired out for your needs. That’s what your team is for and as you said the new little one with the psionic abilities is rather a big player. Truth be told, I have bigger issues to worry about.” 

“Loki,” Natasha said, her voice quieter, “I can’t run this like an Avenger. Nobody has to play hero or do the right thing. This isn’t some rescue operation where people find justice. This is about taking out horrible individuals that are trying to hurt kids and make their own rules. Rules that are going to get a lot of people killed. You may not care about a few evil Midgardians, but I do and if you want my help finding Jane and getting what you want, you’ll help me.” They shared a long glance as she tried to judge what he was thinking. “Besides, if this goes south, it’s not like you will come out scathed.” 

“You are a different story. Humans are quite fragile,” Loki pointed out.

“If I remember correctly, quite a few humans managed to take you down a couple of years ago,” Nat said, gaining more of her confidence back. Loki noticed this as well as he pursed his lips slightly, weighing his options. 

“No playing hero?” he asked. 

“You don’t even have to hear the word Avenger again,” Natasha promised. Loki stood then, his towering height nearly blocking out the mere light they had in the loft. Natasha stood as well. He offered her his hand. 

“Then I suppose we have an accord, Agent Romanoff,” Loki said. Natasha took his hand, gripping it tight. 

“I suppose we do, Your Majesty.” 

“Loki is fine,” he corrected. 

“Natasha,” she said, dropping his hand.

“Well then, Natasha,” Loki said, the mischief alight in his green eyes, “when do we start?”

* * *

They decided to get started the following morning. 

Natasha hadn’t slept. Surprisingly enough her reason for her apparent insomnia was not because of the very intimidating god sleeping on the couch next to her, but because of her encounter with the sniper the night before. 

Something wasn’t sitting right with her. Romanoff didn’t think that the only reason she had missed it was because of Loki, it had to be something else. She usually fought while her teammates were running their mouths over the coms, this shouldn’t have affected her. Maybe she was just being naive. She was out of practice when it came to the spy game. Even when she had to go off the grid she had had Steve or Barton by her side.

Natasha rolled onto her side and looked over at Loki. He had removed his long coat and just wore casual clothes. Dark pants, a dark shirt, and he looked completely unbothered. She wasn’t sure if she feared him. Perhaps it was because he had saved her life or because he had shared a small piece of him when he had explained his feelings on Odin. One thing was for sure, the man before her was not the man she had seen in Germany three years before and a part of her felt as if that version wasn’t the real Loki at all. 

By the time she had finally drifted off, it felt as if she had slept for only for a few minutes. The sun streamed through a single window across the room. Natasha shielded her eyes from the bright light, blinking a few times as she sat up in bed. 

“Do you often sleep with a blade in your hand?” Natasha looked up to see Loki staring at her as he stood by the window. He wore fresh clothing that no doubt were conjured by one of his many magical skills. Natasha looked down to see that she did indeed have a ring dagger peaking out from under her pillow.

“Force of habit,” Natasha said. 

“So it wasn't because of me?” 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Loki,” Natasha said as she stretched her arms over her head. “I’d be keeping a much larger weapon under my pillow if I was afraid of you.” Loki shrugged as he pushed off the wall. 

“You should eat something, your stomach was louder than Hildisvíni’s when he’s hungry,” Loki said as he waved his hand a spread of various foods appeared on the coffee table. Natasha blinked at the conjured fruits and slices of bread. “It’s not poisoned.”

“Didn’t think it was,” Natasha grumbled as she reached for some grapes. Her hand stilled before she took the first bite. “Did you just compare me to a boar?” Loki looked surprised. 

“You know your Nine Realms history,” Loki said. 

“When you’ve met your share of Asgardians you tend to do your homework,” Natasha said as she ate her breakfast. Loki quirked a brow but didn’t comment further. Once Natasha had finished her food and as she took a much-needed shower, Loki waited patiently. However as soon as she was seated at their small table, he wanted to get to work. 

“So, where do we begin, oh wise one?” Loki asked peering over her shoulder. Natasha brought up the police reports she had gotten from the internet cafe the day before.

“This is a list of missing kids from surrounding areas. I believe our target is using runaways and such as runners for their organization.” 

“Which means what?” Loki inquired.

“It means they are informing on what is happening around here. They could also be luring young women into the fold as well as keeping an eye out for cops and any suspicious activity,” Natasha explained. 

“How do you identify them?” Loki asked. 

“They have Soviet stars on the backs of their hands,” Natasha pulled up a photo of Bucky and zoomed in on his arm. “Just like this one.” Loki raised his brows at the mechanical arm. 

“That’s new,” he commented.

“That’s irrelevant,” Natasha said, moving on. “If we can find more of these kids, we can follow them and see where the base of operations is.” 

“This is what you were doing last night?” Loki asked. Natasha nodded.

“I was tracking them with these,” Natasha handed Loki her glasses. He took them gently in his hands, turning them over.

“Stark?” 

“Yes,” Natasha said as she typed away, bringing up maps of the city.

“Well, here is your problem then,” Loki said, placing the glasses in front of her. “You can’t rely on technology. Following and finding people takes a specific set of skills. Many of which I tend to possess.” 

“Is that so?” Natasha asked, barely paying attention.

“Yes, you Midgardians have a habit of not noticing when you’re being watched. It comes in handy for people who are much smarter than you.” 

“Not sure if I should take offense to that or not,” Nat said. 

“Well, you’d be glad to know you are one of the only humans that I’ve met that hasn’t been a complete imbecile,” Loki said causally.

“Wow, thanks,” Natasha said dryly. 

“You’re welcome,” Loki said. Natasha rolled her eyes. 

“I say we start at the park and branch out from there. Try to find some of the kids,” Natasha said, closing her computer and turning to face him. He was staring at her. “What?” 

“Nothing, just odd,” he answered. 

“What exactly are you referring to?” She asked. 

“The whole situation?” Loki offered. Natasha shrugged, getting up from her chair. 

“Fair enough,” Natasha agreed. “I just have to grab my wig,” she said, “then we can go.” 

“You won’t need it,” Loki said, “I’ll handle it.” To his annoyance, Natasha pulled on the long brown wig and placed her cap over it. “You’ll have to start trusting me at some point.” 

“I’ll do that when you give me a reason to,” Nat said as she shrugged on her jacket. She grabbed her bag and headed for the fire escape. 

“Did you suddenly forget who saved your life last night?” Loki scoffed. 

“How can I forget when you don’t shut up about it?” Natasha quipped as she climbed out into the Chicago morning. “Are you coming or not?”

* * *

Loki and Natasha headed for Riveredge Park. 

“At least it’s not freezing today,” Natasha said as they entered the Pavillion. “Not that it would bother you.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Loki agreed. “Where do we start?”

“They would be around where they wouldn’t be obvious,” Natasha said as she scanned the area. Loki suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind a closed kiosk. “What is it?” 

“Still not afraid of my magic?” he asked. 

“I told you I wasn’t,” Natasha said, trying to follow what he was getting at. Loki smiled slightly. 

“Good, then stay still.” Natasha went to retort when a green glow encapsulated her. She watched as it cascaded from her head down to her boots. Loki stepped back and looked over his work.

“What did you do?” Romanoff asked as she stared at her hands, expecting them to look different. 

“Glamour spell. I can see you and you can see me, but nobody else can,” Loki explained. “The last time you went looking for these children, they must have marked you. This way, not even your fancy cameras will get a glimpse of us. I told you that you didn’t need this,” Loki said as he flicked a strand of her wig. She slapped his hand away. 

“Not even the cameras, huh?”

“I’m thorough,” Loki grinned. 

“Okay, stop the smiling. I get it, you’re good,” she said, suppressing the need to roll her eyes. Nat had done it enough in his presence these last twenty-four hours. “Follow me.” Loki saluted and Natasha turned away from him, grinding her teeth. 

It was eerie and a bit unnerving to be under Loki’s enchantment. For a long while, Natasha had perfected the skill of moving through life undetected, but this was different. It was as if they were ghosts spying on humanity and a part of it terrified her, but there was also something quite thrilling about the whole ordeal. Not that she would tell Loki any of that. 

The two of them walked through the Pavillion and it was as if the people around them deliberately stepped out of the way. When Natasha had asked if that was part of his spell he had told her that most Midgardians shy away from spellwork whether they know it or not.

Loki’s magic wasn’t like anything she had witnessed before. Wanda’s was much more prominent. She tended to make a show of everything she did. Even the way that Wanda trained and fought, it was as if she was dancing. Natasha thought it was beautiful, but not exactly fit for stealth missions. Loki’s was subtle, but she also knew that if needed he could become just as powerful as his brother. That thought alone sent a chill down her spine. She knew a predator when she saw one. The good thing was that she was no prey. 

They walked for a little while longer until Natasha raised her fist and Loki halted next to her. Clearly, some hand signals were universal. That was good to know. “How’s your eyesight?” Natasha asked. 

“Better than yours,” Loki said simply. 

“Do you see the star on their hands?” Natasha asked as she gestured to a group of three teenage boys by a couple of trees across from the concession stands. Loki took a few steps forward, zeroing in on the boys. After only a moment, he looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a single nod. Natasha and Loki moved closer. Neither of them spoke as the spell only masked visuals not auditory. 

The teenagers weren’t speaking to one another, just watching the area. Another few minutes and the one that Natasha immediately clocked as the leader got the other two’s attention. He shook his head a couple of times. Another boy took out his phone and opened up a translation app. He typed out something in English as the other boy pulled out a radio and held it to the cellphone.

_ “Net potentsial'nykh kliyentov,” _came the robotic voice of the translator. Loki and Natasha glanced at one another and she knew he understood. Thor had told her about Allspeak, an ability blessed to certain individuals by Odin himself. Thor alongside his family and other deserving inhabitants of Asgard were able to understand any and all languages.

The rough translation of the Russian was: No potential customers. They were using this park as a hunting ground just as she had suspected. _ “Ponyat. Vernut',” _a man on the other end of the radio responded. They were to return. The boys stowed away their things and started walking West. Loki and Natasha trailed close behind.

They followed the boys through the streets of Chicago. Both Natasha and Loki watched their surroundings, taking in exit routes, gatherings of people, even how many patrol cars went past them on less busy streets. They were both experts in what they did and never once had to communicate with the other.

Occasionally, one or the other would get the other’s attention to point something out. It became almost second nature to Natasha to be keeping her eye on Loki, the runners before her, and the city of Chicago and she had to admit that having magic on her side was something she would miss after this was all over. The glamour spell allowed her to focus on the more important details rather than trying to remain unseen which was not as easy for as her as it once was. 

It wasn’t long after they had left the park that the teens turned into the warehouse district. They entered one of the more shabby looking buildings. It looked as if it were an old canning factory. “Abandoned warehouse,” Natasha muttered, “how cliché.”

“Adjacent roof,” Loki said, pointing to the roof across from the factory. Natasha ignored Loki’s offer of help as she shot her grappling hook and pulled herself to the roof. Loki was already waiting for her but with the absence of his smug smile. She considered that progress.

One of the windows was propped open in the ceiling of the factory. Loki and Natasha crouched next to it and peered down. What they saw made Natasha’s blood run cold.

Young women and teenage boys in a cage.

The leather of her gloves cracked in the cold weather and she shook slightly from rage. Guards walked around the building, guns in their hands. Any time one of their prisoners spoke a single word, the cage would be rattled by batons or shouts of harsh Russian would echo through the rafters.

Loki’s hand suddenly covered Natasha’s. She looked down to see that she had pulled her pistol. She hadn’t even realized she had done it. Nat looked up at Loki who was shaking his head. “How does this not enrage you?” she asked. 

Loki didn’t say anything. Natasha pulled her hand away, holstering her weapon. She then noticed a steel chair near one of the walls. Ropes were pooled around the floor as well as what she thought were homemade gags.

“They’re torturing them,” she breathed out. 

“I know,” Loki said quietly. She looked back at him and noticed that he kept his eyes away from the chair as well as the cage. He couldn’t look at them. Natasha wanted to ask but thought better of it.

“We have to get them out of there,” Natasha decided. 

“Not now,” Loki shook his head. “Wait for the guard change.” 

“How do you know there’ll be one?” she asked.

“This many hostages, with what? Ten men to watch over them? Seems unlikely,” Loki explained. 

“Well, look at you,” Nat commented, “you’re quite the tactician.” 

“I’ve fought my share of wars, Natasha.” 

“Warrior first, prince second?” she asked. 

“Something like that.”

“Fine, then we’ll wait.” There was no point in hiking it all the way back to their loft so they stayed. With the glamour spell still in place, they were able to remain by the open window and watch their target. The wind was howling loud enough that their voices were easily drowned out.

Eventually, Natasha’s curiosity got the best of her. “Loki?” she asked. 

“What is it?” 

“The way you reacted when we first saw what’s going on down there…”

“Leave it alone,” Loki ordered. “It’s my problem and I’d prefer it to stay that way.” The finality in his voice was enough for Natasha to change the subject.

“Then answer me this,” Natasha continued, “this increasingly horrid weather, is this you?” Loki’s brow furrowed as he leaned against a lower wall across from her.

“What do you mean?”

“You said your origin was Frost Giant. It coincidently got much colder when you showed up,” Natasha explained. Loki turned his face skyward to the overcast sky as the wind whipped through his hair. 

“I can’t always control it. Since I’ve found out about my true parentage, my Jötunn characteristics have been becoming more prominent,” he explained. “I hadn’t realized I was doing it.” Natasha shrugged, not willing to comment any further. It wasn’t as if she wanted to get to know him better, but she was trying to understand the man across from her. She had always found it easier to work with people when she knew how they thought.

It was another hour before the commotion started below. The guards that were posted with the hostages had left, locking the doors with what looked to be their own personal security system. Natasha looked at the open window before them and the keypad and just rolled her eyes. Idiots. As soon as the gunmen left, Loki gripped Natasha by the arm and jumped to the lower level of the factory. Their landing made a stir as the hostages were suddenly alert.

“Drop the glamour,” Natasha said. “They need to know someone has come for them.” Loki waved his hand and they were visible once again. “Everything is going to be okay,” Natasha assured the kids as she stepped out of the shadows.

“They’re going to come back,” a young girl said as she pressed herself against the chainlink. Nat approached her. The girl must have been around seventeen. She had long blonde hair and wore a silver cross around her neck. She also had a black eye. Natasha placed her palm over the teen’s hand through the fence. 

“What’s your name?” Natasha asked gently. 

“Eva,” she whispered back. 

“Eva, I wouldn’t worry about those men anymore, okay? I’m getting you the hell out of here.” Eva’s eyes glistened as she nodded, hooking her fingers around Natasha’s briefly before letting go. Natasha looked to her partner. “Break the lock, I’ll handle the security system.” As Natasha headed for the keypad, Loki broke open the cage. The teenagers flooded from their prison. One of the boys had a younger girl, perhaps around the age of fourteen, in his arms. She had a head wound over her left eye and a burn mark on her right leg. Loki looked away again. 

Natasha got the cover of the keypad off easily. It took her less time to get into the wiring. She didn’t need Stark’s glasses to tell her how to handle this. It was mediocre at best. “ATMs have better protocols,” Natasha muttered as she twisted two wires together and cut the power to the system.

“We have a problem,” Loki said as he came up behind her. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, as she examined the group of scared and hurt teens behind him.

“We have these Midgardian children, but none with stars on their hands,” Loki explained. 

“Damnit,” Natasha swore just as a flashbang flew through a broken window. Nat grabbed Loki and turned his back before the light blinded them both. Cries of fear and pain echoed from the teens behind them.

Guards ran through the upper levels, firing their guns into the air, trying to regain order. “Take care of them,” Natasha said. “I’ll get the kids out.” Loki nodded and went after the first human that felt the need to fire a pistol at the God of Mischief.

Natasha looked frantically for an escape plan when she saw the drainage grate in the floor. With a hard pull, she got the grate off and stuck her head in. Just as she thought, it led into the sewers. Natasha ran over to Eva who was trying to shield some of the other kids. “Eva, listen to me. You get these kids out of here. You get them into the sewers and you get them to the street.” Eva was shaking her head. 

“I can’t,” she said, tears springing into her eyes. 

“You have to,” Natasha whispered back. “I need you.” From her pocket, Natasha pulled out a small patch and pressed it into Eva’s palm. It was one of her Avengers patches she put on her suits. Eva stared at it and then _ really _ looked at Romanoff. It took her a second, but she understood. “Can you do this?” Eva clutched the patch and nodded. 

“I’ll make sure they’re safe,” Eva promised. Nat clutched her face and smiled slightly. She then handed her a flashlight from her belt. 

“I’ll buy you all the time in the world. Go, now,” Nat ordered and Eva started pulling the group along the wall. Natasha stood between the kids and the guards and drew her weapons. She didn’t know where Loki was, but the occasional scream gave her some idea.

Any guard that attempted to stop their hostages, Nat put a bullet through their hearts. Two came at her at once and she took them down in a matter of seconds. From her right, a man came at her holding what looked to be some sort of cattle prod. He aimed it at her side, but her electrified wrist met his hand first. His arm seized up as Natasha wrapped it around his back and tugged. She heard the satisfying pop of his shoulder dislocating.

A guard fired from her left and she used the man in her grasp as a shield. He died instantly. Natasha glanced behind her to see Eva looking back at her. All the kids had disappeared into the sewers. Eva placed her hand against her heart and Nat winked at her. The girl then dropped below, sliding the grate shut behind her. 

With the kids safe, Natasha’s rage increased. She zeroed in on the gunman who had shot at her before. He was reloading. Nat took off in a sprint. He looked up just as she closed in. He aimed, but Natasha kicked the gun from his hand, propelling herself through the air and up onto the man’s shoulders. With a quick twist of her hips as she took him to the ground, she snapped his neck. 

Romanoff rolled back to her feet, heading for another assailant. Above, a body fell from the rafters, a dagger sticking from his sternum. Natasha aimed her pistols as she fell into a slide, shooting multiple men on the ground and on the runway above her.

From behind her, she felt arms wrap around her. “Sorry,” Natasha spat, “but I don’t think you’re my type.” She kicked back, landing a kick to his groin as she slipped from under his arms and sheathed a blade from her boot through his ribs. Blood flowed from his mouth as Natasha kicked him away. Just then, Loki landed next to her, wiping a spray of blood from his forearm. “Classy,” she commented.

From across the factory, the doors blew open to a force of gunman, all training their weapons on the two of them. Loki raised his hands, but Nat stepped in front of him. “No, we can’t let this become a massacre. We have to leave before this escalates. Get them to follow us, not the kids.” Loki looked somewhat disappointed but dropped his hands.

Gunfire erupted as they ran towards the back. Natasha pushed through the rusted door, sliding on the icy road. Just as she turned to her right, an explosive landed before her. Her feet sought solid ground as she tried to run, but it was too late.

The bomb went off.

* * *

Loki cringed from the heat as he stood above Natasha.

As soon as the explosive had gone off, it had sent the spy to the ground. He figured she must have hit her head as she was now very much unconscious. A rough hole was left from where the bomb had landed and Loki’s coat was quite destroyed from the wave of heat and energy. “Great,” he grumbled. The god stared down at the woman and with a deep sigh, picked her up into his arms.

Natasha’s head lolled slightly, but her eyes remained closed. “This is now the second time I’ve saved your life. Let’s try to not make it a third.” Loki cast his glamour once again as he walked from the factory and only hoped that getting herself blown up was worth all of this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that romanoff is getting injured with loki saving her. i promise ha. 
> 
> this partnership is slowly becoming one of my favourites and I wish these two had gotten to interact more in the mcu.


	4. Unfamiliar Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Natasha gain something crucial for their plan

_"There is no thing that you may do, _   
_And nothing melts her heart of ice..." - _ _Juan Olivarez_

When Natasha woke, the ground was way too soft. 

Every part of her body ached as she shifted slightly. She remembered what had happened. They had saved the kids and then the bomb had gone off. At least she had done something right, Natasha thought. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was not on the ground at all, but in a rather lavish hotel room. 

The walls were adorned in art, the chandelier was glittering in the golden light, and the bed was at least twice the size of the one she slept in at home. Natasha was instantly on edge. It wasn’t unusual for criminals to keep their hostages in luxury before they decided to shoot them in the back of the head.

Natasha slowly sat up, cringing at the pain in her ribs when she felt the familiar weight in her boot. She slid her hand into her holster and was surprised to find her dagger. Looking to her right she also saw that her guns were on the nightstand as well as her Widow Bites. What kind of captor gave his hostage her weapons? She checked to see if the guns were loaded, they were.

Romanoff grabbed her pistol, clicked off the safety and headed for the door. Maybe this was just some sick game they were doing to toy with her. It wouldn’t be the first time. Also, the fact that her wig was gone was something else that was rather concerning. They would know who she was.

Natasha tried the door, it was unlocked. She pushed down the handle slowly, raising her pistol. Quietly, she stepped into the hallway, listening for any guards or other threats. She was definitely in a suite, penthouse maybe. The room service menu on the entry table told her that she was at one of the fancy chain hotels in Chicago, at least she was still in the city.

The sound of a glass being set down alerted Natasha to the living room across from her. The double doors were slightly ajar. Natasha stood by the wall, holding her weapon to her chest for a second before taking a breath and then shoving through the doors and aiming the barrel at her supposed kidnapper. 

“Do you people actually enjoy this pathetic excuse of literature?” Natasha was dumbfounded as she beheld the sight before her. Lounging on the elegant chaise was Loki. The god was flipping through a tabloid magazine as he sipped some kind of dark liquor from a crystal glass. “Honestly, there are much better things to write about on this rock besides whatever this is. Tell me, what the hell is a Birkenstock?” Loki looked up then and his brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”

Natasha snapped out of her surprised and picked up the closest thing to her, which happened to be a throw pillow and threw it at him. Loki jumped in surprise. “Aye, watch the drink!” he said, setting it down.

“I thought I was about to be tortured by a bunch of Russian informants,” Natasha snapped, putting her gun down on the coffee table. 

“Why would you think that?” Loki asked, confused. Natasha let out a breath as she sat down on the adjacent couch. 

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I woke up alone in a strange hotel room after being blown up and didn’t know what was going on. The whole thing was very...horror movie,” Natasha explained. 

“What?” Loki asked. 

“Nevermind,” Natasha sighed. “What are we doing here?” Loki leaned back into his seat, tossing the magazine on the table. 

“You got blown up and I saved your life. Again,” Loki said and Nat narrowed her eyes at him. “We were being followed so I didn’t bother going back to the loft.”

“Yes, I’m sure that was your only reason,” Natasha said gesturing to the room around her. Loki shrugged. 

“There are multiple ways to get what we want, Miss Romanoff. None of which include living in that hovel for another day.” 

“And can I assume that magic was involved with the acquisition of this room?” Natasha asked. 

“Everything in my life has magic involved. The front desk thinks this room is under construction and will not be available for quite some time,” Loki said smugly.

“You’re a tyrant,” Natasha said, closing her eyes. 

“Thank you,” Loki said and she knew he was grinning even if she couldn’t see his face. 

“What happened after the bomb went off?” Natasha asked. 

“I don’t know,” Loki admitted, “I didn’t exactly stick around to make sure the armed men were in good health. They do have quite the impressive arsenal, however.” 

“Let’s not praise the bad guys,” Natasha said as she leaned forward and stretched out her neck. Natasha took another look around the room when she noticed the dining table was covered in tech and bags. “Is that my stuff?” Nat got up from the couch and approached the table. She glanced back at Loki. He rolled his eyes as he got up from the sitting room. 

“Figured you want it,” he said. 

“So magic,” Natasha began, “it can do just about anything?” Loki shrugged. 

“If you know how to use it,” he said. “Though some people can’t do everything. Some are able to conjure, others are not. Some are able to manipulate energy, others are not. I can’t do some, but I can do most. Why do you ask?” Natasha shook her head. 

“Curiosity,” she said. “What’s this?” Natasha pointed to a black case that she hadn’t seen before. It definitely wasn’t hers. 

“Ah, when you were unconscious, I intercepted one of our new friends, found this in the back of his vehicle.” Loki opened the lid and Natasha’s brows went up. “Thought it might be useful.” Inside the black case was the remains of an explosive, most likely the one that had targeted her.

“Good work,” Natasha said, closing the lid. “Now, I’m not as well-informed on your persuasion tactics, but how exactly did you acquire this?” A smile spread across his face. 

“Your Midgardian vehicles are surprisingly malleable.” 

* * *

A little bit later, once Natasha had showered, eaten, and collected her thoughts, she got back to work.

When she bent down to get her backpack, a hiss shot through her teeth at the pain. Her ribs were definitely cracked. It took her a moment to catch her breath as the pain subsided slightly. “Yeah, I was going to do something about that but I didn’t want you to wake up and threaten to skin me because I used my magic on you.”

“You were going to heal me?” Natasha asked, incredibly surprised. 

“No, not heal,” Loki said, “I’m afraid that particular talent is solely reserved for myself. It doesn’t work on others, but I am able to remove the pain.” Loki glanced at the way Nat was holding her side. “If that is something that will help us finish this job,” he finished lamely. 

“It physically pains you to be helpful, doesn’t it?” Natasha asked, quite amused. 

“Do you want me to do it or not?” Loki asked, impatient. Natasha bit her lip to stop from laughing and nodded. “Stay still,” he said as his hand hovered over her side. Natasha watched as his emerald magic shone from his fingertips. A second later and she relaxed as the pain disappeared. Loki stepped back, flexing his fingers. 

“Thanks,” she said. Loki nodded to her before gesturing to the mess before them. 

“What are we going to do with all this?” Loki asked, changing the subject. Natasha turned her attention back to their work. 

“Well, I think we need to start with this,” she said as she pulled the black case towards her. Natasha lifted the lid and shone a light onto the remains of the bomb. 

“What do you make of it?” Loki asked. 

“A lot of the tech that I can make out is familiar, but some of it is...odd,” Natasha said, lifting up a piece with her pen. 

“How so?” he asked. Natasha turned the case towards him and he took a look at the inner wiring. His jaw then went rigid. “This metal here is not of Midgard.” Natasha snatched back the light and looked to where Loki was pointing.

“How do you know?” 

“Because I recognize the etchings on the underside. Looks like what scrappers use on their cargo ships. It’s as common in space as your steel is here on Earth,” Loki explained. 

“So you’re telling me the Russians are working with aliens…?” Natasha asked, ready to put her head through a wall. 

“Highly doubt it,” Loki assured her. “More likely it crashed here at one point. They probably don’t even know they’re using it.” 

“Does it make a difference?” she asked. 

“It’s more durable than your standard materials. Causes more damage. Could be something to put your circus act onto later.”

“You don’t think this is a problem for right now?” Natasha asked, ignoring the jab he had made at her team. 

“You can go after arms dealers and weapons manufacturers another time. A bit of space metal isn’t anything to worry about. Besides, this is scrap metal so it’s likely that they’ve only made a few explosives. Their other weapons were standard Midgardian barbaric tools so I believe we’ll be fine. Well, I’ll always be fine, but you should be safe as well.” 

“You talk too much, has anyone ever told you that?” Natasha asked. 

“It’s been mentioned.”

“Great, so I will relay this information to Steve when I finish here then. As for the people who set off the bomb, what do we know?”

“They have horrible security protocols,” Loki reminded her. 

“That’s because they didn’t think anyone was onto them. That will change now,” Nat said, propping her feet up as she typed away at her laptop.

“By the way,” Loki said. Natasha looked at him from over her computer. “You’ll be glad to know that your news broadcast is reporting that a group of adolescents was found wandering through the sewers by some maintenance workers. Authorities believe they were victims of human trafficking.” Natasha smiled slightly, feeling relief course through her.

The kids were safe.

“That’s good, that’s really good,” Natasha said

“So they’re out of the woods then?” Loki asked. Natasha’s expression fell. 

“No, not exactly,” she said, sitting up and showing Loki what was on her laptop. It was a map of Chicago. “I don’t think that was the only warehouse.” Loki’s brow furrowed. 

“You think there are more kids?” 

“I would be naive to think otherwise,” she told him. “I think that their runners cover multiple areas and that somewhere there is a second staging area. Perhaps with more willing participants.” 

_ “‘More willing?’ _ What idiot would be willing to be tortured?”

“But that’s the thing,” Nat said, leaning forward, ”they wouldn’t be tortured. Believe or not, but there are some screwed up people in this country and yes that includes kids.”

“No, I believe that,” Loki muttered. 

_ “Or, _if a kid feels lost or unwanted, they reach for just about anything to hang onto. It’s not as uncommon as you think,” Natasha explained.

“So we have to free these idiots too?” 

“Problem is, they may not want to be saved and some could already be in training. If my theory is right, and it usually is, then some may be lost to us already,” Natasha said, not wanting to acknowledge that some kids may not willing to be helped. 

“So we save the ones that we can and take out the ones who try to kill us,” Loki offered. 

“We’re not killing kids,” Natasha said sternly. “And I swear Loki if you even try‒”

“Slow down there trigger finger, I have my issues, but I’m not going to murder a child. Perhaps ‘take out’ wasn’t the best words to use. We take them down as in unconscious or locked in a cage. Nobody will be killing children. Alright?” Natasha stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. “Alright, now tell me what you know about these three.” Loki pushed the three files she had on her targets towards her.

“Yerik Viktorov,” Natasha began, picking up the first file. The man in the mugshot was your typical Russian mobster. Shaved head, stern brow, tattoos covering his chest and back. He was a bit too stereotypical for Natasha’s liking. “Viktorov is head of security. He runs the weapons, tactical teams, and deals with transportation. If they are hoping to bring in other players from Russia, this is who will be making that happen.” 

Natasha grabbed the next file. “Samara Stepanov, highly trained assassin with just about as many kills as myself. Maybe more,” Natasha looked down at the blonde woman’s picture and her childhood came rushing back to her. She had met her fair share of Samara’s in Russia. “She’s highly intelligent and won’t hesitate to put a bullet through your head if she expects you may be an enemy. Or even if she’s just bored of you.” 

“And the one with the fake eye?” Loki asked, raising his brow at the final file. The man looked as if he was born angry. The scar along his face showed his time in a war and his age was quite clear, but Natasha knew the older a Russian operative was, the more dangerous they became. 

“Andrei Sobakin, the bank of the operation. I’ve been tracking his funds since I got here. He’s putting them through so many different channels, I’m surprised he can keep track of all his money. Offshore accounts hold most of it, but he’s been making some big deposits recently. Mostly spending on the fake gala, but there are some discrepancies that I have been able to catch.”

“The brawn, the brain, and the bank,” Loki said. “How cute.” 

“It’s clever. Its easier to work in smaller groups when trying to get something done off the radar. It comes in handy when three are capable of doing what ten men could do.”

“So we’re going after them?” Loki asked. 

“No, not just yet,” Natasha said. “We have to gain more information on them first.” 

“And how do you suggest we do that? Your previous methods have so far only gotten you hurt or have made me become your shield.” Natasha threw a pen at him which he caught easily. 

“Well if you’d let me finish,” she muttered and Loki smiled, “the best way to find out who is new to running crime on the streets is to talk to the biggest fish,” Nat smiled as she grabbed her computer and got to work. 

A couple of hours later and Natasha had set a meeting with Marco Mancini, Chicago’s resident crime boss. 

Natasha had been aware of the Mancini family for many years but hadn’t had any personal dealings with them as of yet. She figured now would be as good a time as any. “And how do you know this...gangster as you so eloquently put it?” Loki asked through the cracked door as Natasha changed. 

“I’ve managed to keep my connections over the years. Besides, once you know how to contact one evil bastard, the rest of them tend to follow the same protocol.” Natasha stepped out of the room and Loki took a step back, taking in her outfit. “What?”

“You’re planning to attack some meathead in that?” Loki asked. Natasha looked at herself in the mirror on the wall. Her red dress was form-fitting, short, and showed the perfect amount of skin. Her heels were definitely unfit for her usual fighting style, but she had chosen this outfit for another reason. 

“These men tend to like their women to please them,” Natasha explained, “I’ll be masquerading as a New York leader’s advocate whereas you get to be the muscle. Besides, I can fight in anything.” 

“Well then,” Loki said as his dark sweater and dark pants transformed into a dark suit, “what are we thinking? Blonde or brunette?” he said as he stood behind her in the mirror. 

“Surprise me,” Nat said and Loki waved his hand. Much like his previous enchantment, to each other, they would look like them, but to the rest of the world, Loki was shorter, had lighter hair, and darker eyes. His face was not as sharp and the intensity was gone from his features. As for Natasha, her red hair was replaced with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a stronger brow. Her lashes were longer and her jaw sharper. Her new features reminded her of someone that she started to laugh.

“What now?” Loki asked. Nat stopped laughing for a moment and put on an expression of boredom. 

“I look like Tony if he was a woman,” Natasha said. Loki did a double-take and then his expression fell which only made Nat laugh harder. Loki stared at her while she laughed and then couldn’t keep the small smile off his face. They exchanged a glance. 

“You are ridiculous, you know that?” Loki asked. 

“I’m well aware,” Nat said. “So what can you do about hiding my guns?” 

* * *

As far as Mancini was concerned he was meeting with Karolina Vogel, an associate of Alaric Haas, a well-known German drug runner from the Bronx.

Loki was to play her bodyguard, not that she would need one as she was carrying her own weaponry. Loki had placed a glamour enchantment on her pistols as well as her thigh holster. Not even a pat-down would detect them. Natasha was confident that this meeting would go just as she planned, if not better. 

Loki and Natasha arrived at the designated meeting place right on time. Mancini had requested that they meet in one of his restaurants. Natasha knew it was to have the home-court advantage while also looking welcoming. It was the oldest trick in the book. 

“Is this what humans think is good security?” Loki asked as they approached the front door. Two men in dark black suits with headsets stood on either side. 

“Bodyguards don’t speak unless spoken too,” Natasha said, her lips barely moving. “They also don’t roll their eyes,” Natasha finished as she spotted him from the corner of her eye.

“Stop right there,” one of the men said as they came to a stop before the restaurant. 

“Gentlemen,” Natasha greeted, her German accent flawless.

“Arms out,” the other said as he took out his security wand. Loki copied Natasha’s movements as she had told him to do on the way over. He looked as if he wanted to murder the thugs but kept his mouth shut nonetheless. Once the guards were satisfied with their seeming lack of weaponry, they were escorted inside.

The restaurant was garish and smelled strongly of garlic. Natasha figured it was a front for something. Drugs or weapons perhaps. She also couldn’t tell if the stains on the carpet were blood or wine. That didn’t exactly give the welcoming vibe.

Just like a bad film, Mancini was seated at a two-person table sipping on a glass of scotch. Loki stood back a few feet as Natasha approached the table, her shoulders back and eyes focused. “Miss Vogel,” Mancini said, “please.” He gestured to the chair across from him and one of his men pulled it out for her.

“Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Mancini, I’m sure you are a very busy man these days,” Natasha said. 

“Please, call me Marco. Any friend of Haas is welcome here,” Mancini said. “Drink?”

“Please,” Natasha agreed.

“So, what can I do for you, Karolina?” Mancini asked as Natasha was handed a drink. 

“I was hoping I could get your insight on something?” Natasha said slowly as she sipped her drink. 

“And what would that be?” 

“We’ve encountered a problem back in New York. It seems that we’ve acquired some visitors from Moscow as of late and they haven’t exactly been quiet,” Natasha began, “we believe they may be trying to establish roots here and in turn take over our territory. I heard a rumor that something similar was happening here in your city.” Mancini nodded. 

“Indeed there is,” he said. “Russian rats infesting our quiet streets. It’s a shame, really. They are scaring off our usual customers and even trying to get into our police stations. No class, none at all.” Natasha wasn’t surprised to hear that Mancini had corrupt cops under his thumb. 

“I believe that I can handle this problem for you if you are willing to give me the information that I need.”

“Is that so?” 

“Of course,” Natasha nodded, “Russians tend to fall like dominos. Just one after the other.” 

“I agree,” Mancini said, “And what exactly are you planning on doing with these individuals?”

“I think I will keep the specifics to myself, but rest assure that they will be taken care of,” Natasha promised.

“The men and the woman that you seek are held up in the Grand River hotel, though I suppose you already know that. Their security is complex, but not impossible,” he said. 

“I’ve also noticed that they are in the market for trafficking young women,” Natasha said, gauging his reaction. Mancini nodded. 

“Yes, they have two staging areas, though I only know the location of the first,” he informed her. “However, it seems that one was raided by a few good samaritans yesterday.”

“I think I saw something like that on the nightly news,” Natasha said. Mancini took a sip of his drink, his eyes on her the whole time, even if they did wander slightly. “What do you know of the gala?”

“Just that it is clearly a front for something and that they’ve invited every influential person in this city to attend,” he said.

“Yourself included?” Natasha asked. 

“Of course, as well as a few guests of my choosing.”

“No chance I could be one of those esteemed guests, is there?” 

“You see, I would love to trust you, Miss Vogel,” Mancini said as the men throughout the restaurant started to close in. “But you have to know that I am a good friend of Mr. Haas and I am fully aware that you are not.” Suddenly, all around, men pulled their guns. Natasha kept her cool, obviously expecting this. She leaned forward in her chair, uncrossing her legs.

“What are you saying, Mr. Mancini?”

“I’m saying that you will not be leaving this city,” he simply said. Natasha judged his expression for a moment before a smile spread slowly across her face. His confident expression dropped as Nat pressed the barrel of the gun she had released from the spell into his stomach.

“I have every intention of leaving Chicago once I have taken care of my Russian problem. Which will be happening the night of the gala. And of course, you could have gotten something out of this arrangement if you hadn’t threatened me. That’s not something I take too kindly to.” Mancini stood quickly from his seat, nearly knocking the chair to the ground. Natasha raised her gun, directly at his head. “Now about those invites?” 

The shooting began instantly. Loki tossed Natasha her second gun and she took down the two guards from the entranceway as Loki began cutting through the mass of hired guns that had come from the kitchen. When she turned towards the bar, a pistol was in her face, Natasha quickly took the gun before it went off. In one smooth move, she kicked her heels off and pulled the man over her shoulder, taking him to the ground and cracking him over the head with the gun. 

Natasha watched as one of the guards broke a bottle over Loki’s head. The god barely flinched as the glass cascaded over his dark hair. He turned and gripped the man by the throat, a bored expression on his face the entire time. Loki instantly broke his neck and dropped him to the floor. The others around stared wide-eyed at the tall man and backed away slowly, but Loki persisted.

As he took out the rest of their witnesses, Natasha approached Mancini. He was standing at the back of the room, watching the chaos before him. Natasha stopped in front of him and he lunged. Mancini was a big man, but she had fought bigger. After the Hulk, a burly Italian was nothing. Nat brought him to the floor, pressing her knees into his chest with a knife at his throat. “Who are you?” he wheezed. 

“Not important,” Natasha said. “I will take those invitations now.” Mancini struggled to breathe as he slipped his hand into his pocket and took out an envelope, offering it to her. Natasha took them and checked the cards. Two plus-one invitations to the gala, gold printed and everything. “Thank you,” Natasha said sweetly as she stood and headed towards Loki who was just finishing up.

Loki turned to her and the look on his face had her hitting the floor. Loki grabbed the nearest weapon to him which happened to be a gun and fired it. Natasha looked behind her to see Mancini fall to the ground, his gun falling from his hand and a bullet wound in his head. Loki walked towards her and offered her his hand. He pulled her to her feet and then awkwardly handed her back the gun with a disgusted look on his face. 

“It’s a gun, not a disease,” Natasha said. 

“I’m not a fan,” he said. Natasha laughed lightly and then was throwing a dagger over Loki’s shoulder. It embedded itself into a gunman trying to sneak out from the kitchen. “Needed a stronger arm on the throw,” Loki criticized. Natasha shoved the invitations into his chest as she picked up her heels. She shot the last man on her way out. Loki followed after her, careful not to step on any of the bodies. “Now what?” he asked as they stepped into the cold afternoon. 

“That was tiresome,” Natasha said, “Want to go open that fancy bottle of wine back at the hotel?” Loki stared at her in utter confusion, glanced at the massacre they just left, and then shrugged. 

“After you.” 

* * *

In truth, Natasha didn’t like the fact that the meeting went south so quickly.

She had in fact wanted to leave Mancini alive, maybe even use him in the future, but things happen. Besides, the Mancini family had done a lot worse to innocent people and the FBI hadn’t been able to touch them. She was just doing her Avenging duties. Not that Steve would approve. And speaking of Captain America, he was speaking on TV. 

“Turn it up,” Natasha said from her side of the couch. Loki tapped the volume button a few times. Rogers had approached a few cameras outside the Compound as they occasionally did to clear some things up and put on a good face for the public.

“Captain Rogers!” a reporter was saying. “Are you aware of the increasing violence across the country? And how do you plan to deal with it?” Steve cleared his throat. 

“We are monitoring everything that we can possibly can,” Steve said. “However, the police departments of these cities are doing what they need to. We can’t be everywhere at once and we need to be focusing on our current operations, but are always on call if needed.”

“He sounds like he’s rehearsed for this,” Loki said as he took a sip from his wine. 

“We usually do,” Natasha admitted. Steve answered a few more questions and then the same reporter asked another.

“Captain Rogers, we have breaking news that the Mancini crime family in Chicago has been targeted.” Natasha took a sip of her wine. 

“Yes, I am aware that happened. What can I say? When you involve yourself in such matters, you can only blame yourself, unfortunately. However, to the individual that felt the need to attack the Mancini’s, I’m sure it was for a reason, whether it was a good or a bad one.” Steve then looked directly into the camera and Natasha raised her glass to the TV. Loki switched it off then. 

“He knows it’s you,” Loki said. 

“I know,” Nat said, settling into the couch and kicking her feet up.

“You don’t think he’s going to come and check up on you?”

“Not if he knows what’s good for him,” Natasha said. 

“Okay, so we have the invites, but we don’t know where the other kids are,” Loki said. 

“No, but those at the gala will know and they won’t move them until they have buyers.”

“You have a plan then?”

“Of course,” Natasha said, “First things first, I’m going to need a dress.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, yes, nat is killing people, but like they're bad people...so just go with it.
> 
> Think of this as pre-avenger nat in a way. though this will be the last time she goes full winter soldier so to speak. 
> 
> up next: they prepare to infiltrate the gala.


	5. Downtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little downtime before the gala.

_"And yet she'll give you not a clue, _  
_Though with all things you may entice." - _ _Juan Olivarez_

Over the next week and a half, Loki and Natasha worked every angle they could find. 

Whether it was following physical leads or just sitting on a rooftop for hours waiting for something to happen, they were always busy. The Mancini situation had made national headlines which worried Natasha slightly. She only hoped that their Russian friends were not so easily spooked.

Since the incident, Natasha had been on edge. She just wanted this mission to be over as soon as possible so she could go home. She missed her team, her own bed, and even with Loki by her side, she had started to feel very alone in all of this. A part of her thought it was because she might be slipping back into her old ways, which was her biggest nightmare. Since the day she became an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., she had tried to remove what the Red Room had done to her. And yet, now she was finding herself just a few blocks from them once again. 

Sleeping became nearly impossible. Natasha tossed and turned for most of her nights. Even in the fancy hotel bed, she felt as if she were on a metal slab. Everything about her time in Chicago felt very familiar and not the good kind either. She thought it was funny that she could ever feel homesick, but it was the truth. She missed her home.

The good news was that the Gala was two days away. They would go in, take out the big three, cause a little chaos, and then Natasha would be back in her bedroom upstate by the following evening. It all sounded easy when you laid it out on the table, but Natasha knew that this enemy was unpredictable and at any moment it could all fall apart. 

While Natasha was on edge, Loki was the perfect example of pure ease. He listened to what she had to say, went along with her plans, and only offered his insight when she asked. He, of course, still made his odd quips and made his dislike of Midgard known many times, but he never faltered when on a mission.

After all the time they had spent together, Natasha still couldn’t get a read on him, at least not fully. She understood him the best she could from the small bits of information he had supplied during their brief conversations while on surveillance or as they drank wine in the evenings.

What she had gathered had surprised her. Loki was no more a monster than the other lost individuals she had met. Albeit, the situations tended to vary, but overall she saw a tortured soul in the body of a man who wanted to do good but had never been given the chance to do so. Natasha knew that most people in Asgard thought Loki to be only one thing: a trickster. Which, in retrospect, was the truth. However, she had come to realize that he was so much more. Perhaps it was time that the legends were changed in favor of the God of Mischief.

Currently, Natasha was seated at the large dining table attempting to access the security cameras of the Grand River hotel. She knew there wouldn’t be much movement until the Gala was closer so she had waited on this particular hack. However, now she was sure there would be extra guests arriving to visit their friends from Moscow. 

While Romanoff waited for her encryption to finish, she glanced over at Loki who had been working on something for quite some time. She saw brief flashes of his magic so she knew he had to have been working on some sort of enchantment, but could not quite figure out what it was. She had wanted to ask about it, but the level of concentration on his face had her returning to her own work rather promptly. 

The encryption worked quickly and soon she had visuals of the entire hotel. Natasha knew that their enemy would be smart enough to use blindspots, but they couldn’t hide from her forever. Romanoff’s main goal was to see how often guards walked the halls and which staff was allowed near the penthouse which she had come to confirm was their room of choice. This entire mission was becoming way too cliche for her, but then again one of her best friends wore a cape and wielded a magical hammer so perhaps a bit of cliche was a good thing these days.

Natasha put all the main feeds she wanted to watch up on her monitor and began her gun-cleaning ritual. Taking care of her weapons always put her mind at ease. The meticulous and repetitive motions of it kept her calm and focused. This was always a bonus for when her mind was constantly churning out outlandish thoughts.

By the time she started on her second pistol, Loki joined her at the table. “Anything interesting?” he asked. 

“Not yet,” answered Natasha, “they’re only letting food service in and no one that isn’t staff has come down the hallway in a while.” 

“Is that unusual?” Loki asked, picking up an empty magazine and turning it over in his hands. 

“For criminals? Not really,” Natasha said. “I just wish I could get some eyes and ears inside the room, but even hacking into a phone is risky.” 

“Why?”

“Because with people like these, they’ll most likely have a scanner for that kind of stuff. They probably scan for bugs every day just to be sure. At least, that’s what I would do,” Natasha said with a shrug. 

“You understand them well,” Loki observed. 

“The best way to defeat your enemy is to understand them,” Natasha said. “One of the more useful things I learned while at the Red Room.” 

“Have you learned anything since you got out?” Loki asked and Natasha knew this was out of pure curiosity. He was always asking her questions such as these. She found that Thor was the same way. Both brothers were always wondering about things. It was one of her favourite things about the God of Thunder. 

“I’ve learned a lot,” Natasha admitted, “from my friends, my family. I guess you never stop learning, you know?” Loki nodded subtly. 

“I learned many things from my mother,” Loki said in one of his more vulnerable moments. 

“Thor told me that Frigga taught you magic,” Natasha admitted. “He also said he was always amazed at the two of you when you used it.” Loki scoffed. 

“That thundering buffoon would be entertained by a bowl of stew if the situation allowed it,” Loki said with a roll of his eyes. Natasha smiled to herself. “Did he ever tell you of the time he left me behind on Alfheim?” Natasha shook her head. 

“I assume the two of you have many stories that he hasn’t divulged to the team yet,” Natasha said. “Go on.” Loki leaned back in his chair as Natasha continued cleaning. 

“Must have been over half a century ago,” Loki began, “Thor was being...well he was being Thor. We had been dispatched to the world to help aid in a crisis that involved a stampede, a civil war, and something to do with an angry elven prince. Honestly, I don’t quite remember the full reason Odin sent us. Anyways, Thor was boasting himself amongst the locals while myself and Lady Sif were looking for any more injured in the mountains.

“We were the most agile so we were often sent to search more difficult and delicate terrain. When we had returned to the main village, Thor was nowhere to be seen. The lead healer told Sif and I that he had gone off in a blaze of lightning after many pints of elven ale…” Loki pushed his hand through his hair, clearly still annoyed by the whole thing to this day. 

“So, what did you do?” Natasha asked. 

“Sif and I indulged in some ale ourselves. This was when we got along much better than we do now. Anyways, we took advantage of our time away from Asgard. Though, I suppose it was a good thing my oaf of a brother left us behind as there was a secondary invasion the following evening. When Heimdall returned us to Asgard, Odin was quite furious with his eldest son, but the Lady Sif and I were returning with arms full of gifts from the people of Alfheim. It was one of the only times Odin had looked proudly upon me. The only other times were when I prevented Thor from causing wars.” 

“Did that happen a lot?” Natasha asked, clearly amused.

“More than you think,” Loki said. “I mean you’ve seen the messes he makes when he’s in…” Loki struggled to find the right words.

“Hammer time?” Natasha offered, trying not to laugh. 

“Yes, exactly,” Loki nodded and then, “why are you laughing?”

“Nothing,” Nat said, “you wouldn’t get it.” Loki stared at her for a moment before shrugging and examining the piece of her gun in his hand. 

“Now I know you have a plan churning in there,” Loki said, tapping her on the head. “What do you have?”

“Well,” Natasha began, holding out her hand for the magazine. Loki returned it to her. “I’m watching all of this to try and gain a perspective on how they move. My plan is to sneak away during the party and get access to their main room. Hopefully, we can gain some information from their computers.”

“So we sneak into their hotel room, find information, and then what? Throw them off the balcony?”

“Sounds about right,” Natasha agreed. “I would like to keep at least one alive if possible. That way we can get some more information.”

“Well, I can’t make any promises,” Loki said. Natasha snorted at that and Loki grinned widely.

“We’re going to need to go into the Gala disguised and then slip away under a glamour to gain access to the more sensitive information,” Natasha explained. 

“Question,” Loki said, raising his finger, “why aren’t we just entering the party with a glamour on and taking these Russians out without them knowing?” Natasha’s jaw clenched slightly. 

“Because I want to gather information from the other guests first,” she explained. “Okay?” Loki raised his hands in surrender then got up from his chair to go do whatever he did when they weren’t together. Natasha took her hair out of her bun and shook it around her shoulders. It had started to grow out and she was tempted to keep it that way instead of her usual short style. 

She watched the cameras for a little while longer, but nothing was happening. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard and then after a quick consideration, she brought up the mainframe for the Compound. Natasha knew her friends wouldn’t like this very much, but of course, she did it anyway. 

Nat accessed F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s cameras and brought up multiple feeds. The first thing she noticed was that Tony was home. He was usually off doing something with Pepper or trying to save the world with Stark Industries so it was nice to see him Upstate. He was in the kitchen. Natasha smiled as he made what had to have been his fourth cup of coffee at least. The genius was leaning against the counter as he spoke to someone. 

Natasha brought up the other camera and saw that it was Vision. She liked the android a lot and knew that Tony had a soft spot for him as well. Vision got along best with Tony and Wanda, but he was slowly becoming the team’s favourite. Natasha found his bluntness refreshing. She didn’t work up the courage to turn on the audio as she figured spying was enough, so she moved on.

Sam was in the hangar with Steve and Rhodey as they checked the quinjets. Steve was leaning against a stack of crates while Rhodey sat on the loading ramp drinking a beer. Sam was laughing at something Rogers had said and Steve threw a grease rag at his friend. Which then caused Rhodey to start laughing as well. Natasha had no doubt that if Thor was on Earth, he’d be sitting next to Steve joining in on the fun as well. She really missed that man. 

As much as she enjoyed seeing her friends laughing, someone was missing. Natasha scanned through the feeds until she found her. Wanda was down by the lake, sitting just before the dock, her arms around her knees. Wanda’s guitar was next to her, untouched. Steve had bought it for her a couple of weeks after she moved in. Natasha had only seen her play it once.

Nat couldn’t see her face, but her body language was enough to tell her that Wanda had been crying. Wanda never let anyone see her sad, not even when she was brought on the helicarrier after Sokovia. Her twin had just been murdered and she remained stoic and would only talk to Clint if the moment warranted it. With Clint back home on the farm, Wanda was alone. Natasha had grown closer to her, but only as a teacher not as much a friend. 

Looking at her now, she would have to change that. Nat knew that both Vision and Steve cared about her, but if Wanda was to get through this, she needed the full team behind her. Nat turned away from Wanda and brought up the camera for the main entrance. The large Avengers “A” shone proudly on the side of the building. She leaned her head in her palm as she watched it, thinking of home. Suddenly, a voice came through, _ “Would you like to contact anyone, Miss Romanoff?” _F.R.I.D.A.Y. said to her, her Irish accent giving Natasha some peace. 

“No, that’s alright F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” Nat said softly. 

_ “I will keep an eye on Miss Maximoff,” _F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, her tone softer. 

“Thanks,” Nat said, smiling slightly. “I’ll be home soon.” Natasha closed out of the system, bracing her hands on either side of her head, taking deep breaths. “Get yourself together, Romanoff,” Natasha whispered to herself as she reached into her pocket and took out the other patch she carried with her. Eva had her other one. Natasha rubbed her fingers over it, feeling the familiarity.

Tony had promised he would make her a new suit, one with more functionality and “all the bells and whistles a spider needs” as he put it. She remembered very clearly the first time she saw him in _his_ suit. Fury had put his trust in the two of them many times and she’ll never forget the look on Tony’s face when it was revealed that she had been undercover the whole time.

There were many moments with her team that would always stick with her. Currently, all she could think about was when they first fought side by side together in New York. Ironically enough she was now working with the man who had brought them together. Even during all the carnage and adrenaline, when she had looked over and saw Clint and then Steve on either side of her with the others in the sky, she realized what they had all become.

They didn’t know it, but the Avengers had saved her life in so many ways. Natasha pressed the patch to her lips slightly and took one last breath before storing it in her coat and straightening up.

Her eyes met Loki’s instantly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

“What are you talking about?” Loki sighed and sat down next to her. 

“Pretend I’m a total stranger and not the man who tried to kill you three years ago,” Loki offered. Nat pursed her lips and then drew her legs up to her chest, turning to him. 

“I feel as if I’m slipping,” she explained. 

“How so?” 

“What happened at the Mancini meeting...it was very much how I used to do things,” Natasha said. “For so long I was the Black Widow, the world’s deadliest assassin. I was good at it too, which isn’t exactly a good thing in case you were wondering. I worked so long to get away from the bloodshed and being here and chasing after these people...it’s turning me back into something I thought I got away from. That's why I don't want to enter the party invisible. I don't want to run this like an assassination. I can't do it anymore."

“You see yourself as a monster?” Loki asked. Natasha nodded. “I don’t see you as such.” 

“Because I parade around with my circus act?” Natasha asked. 

“No,” Loki said seriously, “because I’ve known monsters, Natasha, and you are not one of them.” Nat stared at Loki, unsure what to say. Reassurance coming from Bruce was one thing, he said a lot to connect with Nat and make her feel better. She expected it from him or any member of her team, but Loki? She knew that he never said anything he didn’t mean. He was not in the practice of trying to make people feel better so she knew that what he was saying was what he truly thought. 

“Thank you,” Nat said.

“As much as I hate to say this, you are an Avenger,” Loki said. “And while you lot are a major pain in the ass, you matter to most people. So stop thinking you are just some murdering monster. Only one of those is allowed in this partnership and I’ve held that title for longer than you know.” 

“You aren’t a monster either, Loki,” Natasha said. “I don’t really know who or what you are, but I know that much.” Loki half smiled and then his expression turned back to amusement. 

“We don’t need to hug or anything, right?” Loki asked and Nat kicked him lightly. 

“You ruin every moment, you know that?” 

“It’s my talent,” Loki shrugged. “Here,” he said as he held his hand out to her. Natasha held hers out as well and he dropped something into it. It was a necklace. The chain was silver with large links and the pendant was an emerald the size of a peach stone. It was beautiful. 

“You’re giving me jewelry?” Natasha asked, her brows raised. 

“Don’t get too excited,” Loki said. “It’s enchanted with the shapeshifting spell. It can be disorienting to focus on too many things at once. With the pendant, the spell will always be working without me having to keep the spellwork up.”

“And the emerald?” 

“Your dress is green, is it not?” Loki asked. Natasha smiled and nodded. 

“Well then, I guess we’re doing this. Let’s get this done so I can get home.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is hella short, but I was supposed to upload yesterday, but life ya know. 
> 
> So the next two chapters will be the main mission. Let's hope I can get them up in time and life doesn't screw me over. 
> 
> also, i love this friendship with all my heart and my scarletwidow feels. I love one mother daughter relationship.


	6. The Lion's Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Natasha attend the gala in hopes of gaining access to their three targets.

_"She is alone and dead inside, _  
_A hopeless case forever more..." - _ _Juan Olivarez_

On the day of the Grand River gala, Natasha was restless.

Since she had stepped off the jet in Chicago, she had wanted this mission to go well. Nice and smooth without complications. Of course, then the complication had arrived. All six-foot-two of him. Natasha’s initial opinion on Loki had changed drastically from the first time she had met him. 

Romanoff was starting to see more of the man that Thor had always talked about. The kind and the focused prince who could sometimes be a bit mischievous. She had decided that she liked her newest partner in crime and knew many of her teammates would not approve, Clint especially. However, she had no intention of telling her friends back home about Loki, which would only conjure many conversations that she had no interest in participating in. 

Steve would lecture her, Clint would warn her, and Tony would just stand there and roll his eyes. This was a moment that she wished that she knew where Thor was. He could be very helpful if the team ever found out. 

This past couple of weeks, while rather trying, had been good for Natasha. She was never quite sure where she fit in life, but after being away from the Avengers for a reasonable amount of time, she knew where home was and when she did go home, she’d finally start to plant some roots. Natasha was also curious as to where Loki would go when this was all over, she had some theories about the man and had for some time, but kept them to herself. 

She also wondered how Asgard was dealing without their king. From the stories she had heard, it was as if the entire realm relied upon what the royal family had to offer in terms of protection. However, Natasha was sure that Loki, no matter how cynical he was, wouldn’t leave his home if it meant his people were in danger. He was an honorable man, that much she could tell and she was trusting him to help her through this evening.

Natasha stood before her full-length mirror as she finished zipping up her gown. It was a long, velvet, forest green gown with a long slit up the side. She had chosen this particular dress for the slit as she was tired of ripping up her long dresses when she needed to get more mobility for fighting. 

Natasha didn’t bother with her hair as nobody would be seeing it anyways so she just secured into a knot at the back of her head. Nat slipped into her heels and then with one last tug on her straps took in the full look. The last time she had gone to a party it had ended with Ultron attacking them. She didn’t have a lot of faith that something wasn’t going to go horribly wrong at some point, but then again, she wasn’t the biggest optimist at the moment. 

Nat picked up the pendant and carefully clipped it around her neck. As soon as the cold jewelry met her skin, it glowed softly and when Natasha looked back in the mirror, there was a different woman looking at her. 

Her disguised self was blonde with ice-blue eyes and a stern mouth. She had never looked so Russian in her life. But it was the tattoo on the side of her neck that was the most interesting. It was a collection of Scandinavian symbols, at least that’s what she thought they were, but knowing Loki, they were most likely something in an Asgardian dialect. Nat examined herself for a moment longer before placing her com unit into her ear and camouflaging it with some expertly placed jewelry. 

Tony had perfected their communication technology. It was no more detectable than a pen in a pocket. Completely untraceable and unhackable. It really did pay to have a genius on the team. With a swipe of red lipstick and a deep breath, Natasha exited her room and went to find Loki. She found him in the living room adjusting his bowtie. 

“You’re making it worse,” Natasha said as she entered. Loki turned to her and frowned. 

“It’s complicated,” Loki admitted. “How many ways do you Midgardians need in order to tie a piece of fabric around your throat?” Natasha shook her head and approached him, taking the bowtie into her own hands.

“Stay still,” she said as she fixed it. “You look nice,” she commented. 

“As do you,” Loki said. “Did you like the markings?” 

“The tattoo?” Natasha asked. “They’re beautiful, what do they mean?” 

“They mean ‘leader’ in an old Jötunn dialect. Frost Giants, unfortunately, don’t have a word for Avenger,” Loki said and Natasha smiled. She finished tying his bowtie and smoothed down his jacket, adjusting his lapels.

“Thank you,” Natasha said, taking a step back. “And not just for the trendy tattoo, but for helping me. I don’t express gratitude often so take it all in while you can,” Natasha joked. “But seriously, you’ve been a great help.” Loki nodded though it was more to himself than to her. She hoped she didn’t make him uncomfortable. 

“Well then, why don’t we finish it,” Loki snapped his fingers and Nat’s weapons turned invisible. Loki was also holding an extra pistol for her. He then offered his arm to his partner. “Shall we?” Natasha rolled her eyes and took his arm.

“Let’s get this done.” 

* * *

Natasha had rented a car for the occasion under one of Clint’s old aliases, she hoped he wouldn’t mind. Taking a cab would be a little suspicious so Natasha took the wheel. It was a sleek black town car and Natasha loved the sound of the engine as she pushed it towards E Kinzie St. The hotel was in the nicer part of the city. Of course, the big players got the glitz and glam while their hostages and runners were out near Aurora.

Natasha stepped on the gas, her hands tightening around the steering wheel slightly. “I think the whole point is to get there in one piece, Romanoff,” Loki said as he glanced between the busy streets and her death grip on the wheel. 

“Sorry,” Nat said, flexing her fingers. 

“Are you nervous?” he asked. Natasha raised a brow at him.

“I can kill someone with a pen, Loki, I don’t get nervous. I just want this to go our way so I can put it behind me,” Natasha admitted. “I’ve been in this tundra for too long.”

“You wouldn’t last very long on Jotunheim,” Loki joked. 

“Remind me to never visit then,” Nat said as she changed lanes.

Not long after, they arrived at their destination. The Grand River Hotel had brought out all the luxury for their pristine event. Natasha figured they didn’t even know the true nature of the party in their establishment, but she thought it was best it stayed that way. She didn’t need the hotel manager calling the authorities before they could get the job done. 

Natasha pulled into the valet and handed off the keys to the smartly dressed man. As she joined Loki on the steps, she slipped her arm around his. He looked down at her, but her eyes were on the entranceway.

“What is it?” he asked. 

“The two young women by the doors,” Natasha said and Loki glanced their way. Both of the women were dressed in formal gowns with their hair and makeup done to perfection. However, the thing that Natasha had immediately noticed was the stars on the backs of their hands. These were some of the more willing participants she had talked about earlier.

“What do we do?” Loki asked, clearly understanding. 

“Nothing,” Natasha said as she looked up at him with a smile. “We act completely normal.” Natasha tugged him forward and the two master deceivers entered the lion’s den.

The lobby was filled with the gala attendants. Men and women were dressed to the nines and they all filed towards the large ballroom that was full of warm light and the musical sound of laughter. Natasha and Loki got a place in line behind a couple who looked as if they could buy the hotel tenfold. 

At the threshold of the ballroom were two security guards. The usual broad-shouldered type with the metal detector wands. Exactly like the ones that Mancini had used. Loki casually let some of his hair fall over his left ear that held his com unit and as they approached the host, he took out their invitations.

The host read over the name on the card and then a sad expression cascaded over his face. “You are guests of the late Marco Mancini?” the man asked.

“Indeed,” Natasha said. “We felt that even though Marco could not be here, we could at least attend and donate to some of the causes he was passionate about,” Nat’s fake sincerity was delivered perfectly. The man nodded sadly.

“I respect that,” he said. “Please, have a wonderful evening, Ma’am.” 

“Thank you,” Natasha said, resting her hand on his forearm briefly before stepping towards the security guards. Both of them raised their arms as the guards ran the wands over them checking for weapons. Of course, they didn’t find anything as Loki’s enchantments were flawless and they were waved into the ballroom. 

The room was massive with two levels. The bottom floor held the dance floor that already had many couples swaying along to live music. Servers in tuxedos walked among the patrons offering appetizers and flutes of champagne. The glittering chandelier hung brilliantly in the center of the ballroom, separating the two floors. 

The second level overlooked the first with golden railings and flower arrangements. Tables were freckled around the room, but it was rare for someone to be sitting with everything going on. Either they were dancing, mingling, checking out the bar, or participating in the silent auction. It was all very fast-moving which was good. The more movement in a setting, the easier it was to go unnoticed.

Natasha and Loki made notes of how many exits there were in the ballroom. Three on the bottom level, four on the top. One more if you considered the skylight. Security lined the walls and Natasha could tell they were private and not hired by the venue.

Loki and Natasha started a lap around the room, keeping pleasant looks on their faces, occasionally conversing as to look normal. “All the guards have the star,” Loki said through a slight smile as they passed a group of gossiping women. 

“I’ve noticed,” replied Natasha. “Do you see them on anyone else?”

“Not yet,” he said. “I don’t see our big three either.” 

“Probably haven’t arrived yet,” Natasha said, “these people tend to arrive late to their own functions.” 

“Seems counterproductive,” Loki commented. Natasha shrugged as she took a champagne glass from a passing tray, holding it delicately in her hand, but not drinking it. 

“They are most likely getting constant information on who has arrived and will decide to join when the big buyers show up.” 

“And you think they will?” Loki asked, taking the drink from her and taking a long pull. 

“Do I think some scumbag will want to fund something like this?” Natasha asked, “Yes, yes I do.” Loki took another drink and if it were anyone else Nat would have scolded them, but she knew it took a lot of Midgardian alcohol to get someone like Loki inebriated. “Stay on coms and let me know if you see anything. Try to get some information,” she said as she separated from him and headed to the other side of the room. Loki took a look around and then headed to the bar. 

* * *

Natasha walked among the guests, smiling when needed as she pretended to take in the whole experience. She noticed one of the guards watching her and then smiled sweetly at him with a hint of seduction in her eyes. The guard coughed awkwardly and turned away. Natasha shook her head slightly. All of her targets had one thing in common, they always underestimated a woman. She was the most deadly woman in the room and nobody was aware of it. It was times like these that she loved her job.

Natasha milled around for a bit more until she was intercepted by a finely dressed man. “Good evening, Ma’am,” he said. 

“Good evening,” she replied. 

“I couldn’t help but overhear earlier than you are a guest of Mr. Mancini,” the man said. 

“That’s right, and you are?” Nat asked. 

“Luca Egorov,” he said and Natasha’s heart leaped at the Russian surname. 

“Ursula Ander,” Natasha responded. She had chosen it on a random internet search for Scandinavian names. She liked it well enough. “Please to meet you.” 

“And you as well Miss Ander. I was so sorry to hear about Marco’s sudden demise. Did you know him well?” 

“Yes, my father knew his when they were younger and I have kept in touch with the family since. I can’t believe what happened. I only spoke to him a day before the tragedy,” Natasha said. “Were you a friend of his?”

“Business acquaintance,” Egorov said and Natasha knew that meant he was a fellow gangster. There was a member of the Russian Mafia before her and the desire to pull her weapon was increasing. “Have you heard of any leads about what happened?”

“I haven’t spoken to the authorities if that’s what you mean,” Natasha said, instantly reading his intentions. 

“Forgive me, it’s just, what we do is rather sensitive as I am sure you well know,” Egorov said, taking a sip of his drink. 

“I do,” she said with a nod, “I also know that what happened was not something one man or woman could do, at least not alone. From what I’ve read it was a full-on massacre. Something out of an old gangster film.” Egorov narrowed his eyes at her. 

“What are you insinuating, Miss Ander?” he asked, his jaw tightening. 

“Just that Marco was very loyal, but I don’t believe the other...families reciprocated that trait. The style of execution on some of the guards was textbook Bratva. What else should I be thinking?” Natasha challenged. 

“If you are accusing me of murder, I would watch your tongue,” Egorov threatened. 

“We both have a job to do tonight, Mr. Egorov,” Natasha said, plucking a strand of hair from his jacket, “Let’s not disappoint our hosts.” His face changed then. 

“You are a buyer?” he asked.

“I prefer the term investor, but yes,” she said. “Though my trust is a bit thin these days so we shall see what comes of tonight.” 

“The girls are heavily trained, some for many months now. Only a matter of time before the plan is complete. Do you believe they will return from Moscow soon?” he inquired. 

“They?” Natasha asked, confused. 

“The women,” Egorov clarified. “I mean they have been gone for quite some time, you know?” Natasha schooled her features.

“I think that they may have some more work to do before they can return stateside, but I am not well-informed on their progress at the moment,” Natasha said casually. 

“Well they best return soon, the ones they have here are in need of proper training,” he said. Natasha’s eyes fell on a young woman speaking to a guard. She had the body language of a spy and Natasha bet that there was a weapon on her person somewhere. Natasha grabbed a drink from a tray and raised it to Egorov. 

“To a new future,” she said. “One hopefully with trust restored.” he raised his own. 

“To Marco.” They clinked glasses, but the look on Egorov’s face told her that he was more than happy to put a bullet in her head after her accusations. Natasha nodded to him and walked away as she tried to shake off his cold stare.

* * *

Loki was on the other side of the room by the bar. 

He had found that humans tended to talk more when they had alcohol in their hands. He was disappointed in their lack of ability to hold their liquor. He figured the only person on this planet who could withstand it would be Steve Rogers, not that he ever intended to share a drink with the man. Loki couldn’t bare his outlook on life. He was tempted to cause another incident just to see if Rogers would ever drop his patriotic facade for one day. Loki thought it was unlikely.

As he played with the crystal glass in his hands, he listened. Mostly, it was your normal mundane conversations he normally heard from Midgardians. They talked about the ambiance of the room, the music, and even at times, criticized what other people were wearing. Loki tended to like it when the conversations turned that way. It was the more deviant humans that he respected. Perhaps that is why he tolerated Tony Stark, not that he would ever tell the man that or anyone for that matter. 

Loki went to ask for another drink when he overheard his brother’s name as it slipped from a woman’s lips not too far from him. He leaned in and listened. 

“Well nobody has heard from him supposedly,” one woman was saying. “I have a friend of a friend who knows somebody that works in the Compound and they said that Thor just left one day.”

“You don’t know anybody that works for the Avengers, Tara,” Tara’s friend countered. “That facility is so top secret that they’ve even reserved the air space above it. Stark made sure it was locked uptight.” 

“I have connections, Angela,” Tara said. “I even know that they are going to be facing some major backlash after what happened in Sokovia.” 

“Sokovia wasn’t their fault, I thought,” Angela said. 

“Word is that Ultron, the giant robot guy,” Tara said, “he was apparently _made_ by the Avengers and they couldn’t control him.” 

“Sounds like Stark,” Angela agreed, “but they saved tons of people. Stark and Thor risked their lives to blow up the city, at least that’s what the President said.” 

“I’m just saying, sooner or later, people will want reparations. Especially when it comes to Banner and Thor. They destroy everything they touch.” 

“That’s unfair,” Angela said sadly. 

“It may be unfair, but it’s the truth and you know it.” Loki stopped listening as he abandoned his drink and went out onto the nearest balcony for some much-needed air. 

He understood of course that his brother was a massive force of nature that and at times, did cause quite the destruction, but these humans were so ungrateful. While he didn’t exactly like them, the Avengers are their only salvation if the universe decides to set its sights on Earth. Loki couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he had actually succeeded in his plot with the Chitauri. 

Loki wrung his hands as he looked up at the night sky. He had been down here too long and knew he should be heading back. He should just leave Natasha and head back to Asgard now, but there was a small part of him that made him stay. He would never tell her, but he liked Romanoff and he respected her a lot.

There was something he had to tell her, but he had no desire to offer an explanation so he kept it to himself and had since he had seen her exit the internet cafe. Because the truth was, he had no desire to seek out Jane and simply arrived on Earth because he saw a lone Avenger, the one that had managed to outsmart him, and he was curious. 

“You are too much like your mother,” Loki muttered to himself as he turned from the balcony and went to seek out his partner.

* * *

Natasha scanned the crowd for Loki as she wandered, but the god was nowhere to be seen. 

Romanoff slipped between dancing couples and laughing businessmen as she searched but still could not spot the raven-haired man. Just as she was going to check the second level, she felt a hand on her arm. Natasha turned, expecting to see her partner but was met with a rather drunk gentleman who looked as if he had filled quite a few trust funds his life.

“Care for a dance, Miss?” he slurred. Natasha shook off his hand.

“I’d rather not,” Natasha replied, “perhaps a cup of coffee would do you some good, Sir.” Natasha went to walk away when he grabbed her roughly. She, without hesitation, took hold of his wrist and twisted it, feeling the bones pop beneath her fingers. He let out a cry and Natasha took off into the crowd. 

She spotted Loki immediately and it looked as if he had been searching for her as well. They met each other halfway and then Natasha was dragging him to the dance floor. Loki hesitated as soon as they were surrounded by dancers. Natasha raised her brows. “You can dance, yes? I figured because of the whole prince thing.” Loki rolled his eyes and took hold of her waist and her other hand. 

“I just didn’t know if you’d feel comfortable,” he said. “I may be deviant by nature, but my mother taught me manners, Miss Romanoff.” Natasha quirked her brows. 

“Who knew that you would be so chivalrous?” Natasha noted. 

“I think you’d be surprised at my many traits others don't expect me to possess,” Loki said, spinning her around. 

“I’ll take your word for it,” she said as she stepped in closer. “They’ve already sent women to Russia for training.” Loki’s brow furrowed. 

“I thought the whole point was for all of that to happen here,” he said.

“I guess not,” Natasha said, “Apparently, they were sent to become mentors in a way. When they return they will train the ones they have recently recruited.” 

“When do they come back?”

“I don’t know,” Natasha admitted, “but we can’t let them. I’ll have to deal with that when this is all over.”

“This is good though, isn’t it?” Loki asked as they passed a few couples in the center of the floor. “If they are using the training centers over there then they haven’t made the one here.”

“Very true,” Natasha agreed. 

“What are they waiting for?” Loki whispered. 

“Money.” 

“They are essentially paying ghosts at the moment,” Loki noted. 

“Not necessarily,” Natasha gasped as she turned him around. “Over my left shoulder near the ice sculpture.” Loki casually glanced in the direction.

“Is that Stepanov?” Loki asked. 

“Yes.” Samara had just arrived in a stunning white gown. She looked like someone fresh out of a James Bond film. Stepanov hadn’t come in through the main door so now they had their next move.

“Viktorov is here too,” Loki said, rotating them so Natasha could see Yerik following behind the assassin.

“Sobakin won’t be far behind,” she said. “I’ll watch for an opening. Just act normal.” 

“Easy enough,” Loki said, leading her across the floor. While keeping their eyes on their targets, they passed the time with random topics. He asked her about her time with S.H.I.E.L.D. while she asked about Asgard. It was a good way to keep busy while also examining everything going on in the room. 

After the third song had finished, Natasha took her eyes off of the Russians who were seated at the main table and turned her attention to the prince before her. “Tell me about New York,” Natasha said. She had been wanting to ask about it since the moment she had seen him in the city. She wanted answers because there was always something that didn’t seem right about that day. 

“What about it?” Loki asked.

“Why did you do it?” Natasha asked. “I can’t find a reason. You’re not some psychopath who does things for no reason. I know you had one, but I can’t figure it out so you have to tell me.” Loki looked down at her, his jaw set, but his eyes open. Natasha thought that he may actually give her some proper answers.

“I can’t,” Loki told her, tightening his hold on her. “I can’t tell you.” Natasha shook her head. 

“No, I won’t accept that,” she said. “Tell me the truth.” He was silent for a moment weighing his words. 

“It was a lot bigger than you all thought,” Loki admitted quietly. “Not so black and white as it seemed. There are bigger and worse things out there than me, Natasha. Sometimes they come knocking on Earth’s door.” Natasha tilted her head as she slowly understood. 

“It wasn’t your idea, was it?” she asked. 

“Natasha please‒”

“The Mind Stone…” Nat slowly said. “Were you affected by that?” 

“If you are implying that I was mind-controlled during that battle…” 

“Perhaps even before it,” Natasha said. “Somebody gave that sceptre to you. I know it. I know what happened when you fell from the Bifrost. Thor said that you should’ve died.” 

“Thor doesn’t know everything and I’d suggest you don’t only talk to him about matters of the universe,” Loki snapped.

“Who orchestrated the attack on New York, Loki?” Natasha asked, but he shook his head. “Was it the same person who is looking for the stones?”

“Natasha, leave it alone,” Loki said. “You shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. It’s over. New York, Germany, it’s all over. Why do you keep bringing it up?”

“Maybe because I know you’re not telling me the whole truth,” Natasha said. “I have a feeling that you have been keeping quite a lot from me.” Loki couldn’t look her in the eyes as they danced. He never thought that a human, let alone an Avenger, would be able to read him so well. 

“You’re right,” he began, but before he could continue, Natasha raised her hand, silencing him.

“The guards just left, looks like a shift change,” she said nodding towards the door that Yerik and Samara had come from. “Now’s our chance to get to their room.” Nat looked up at him. “We can finish this conversation later, come on.” Loki followed Natasha casually across the room. They didn’t glance back once as they pushed through the door and closed it behind them.

They were in a service hallway that the catering company and other staff used. Natasha and Loki headed away from the busy sounds of cookware and shuffling feet and exited into the main hallway that led into the rooms. “Okay, now would be a good time for a little camouflage,” Natasha said and Loki nodded, but before he could even raise his fingers, cold metal was pressed to the backs of their necks. 

Natasha knew the weight and feel of a gun no matter what. Both her and Loki had .45s pressed to their heads and neither of them moved. “Miss Ander, how nice to see you again.” Natasha looked to her right to see Luca Egorov step from the shadows.

“Egorov,” she said sweetly, “it seems we’ve gotten a bit lost.” 

“I highly doubt that,” he said, “I don’t know who you and your...henchman are, but my employer doesn’t like people looking into his transactions.”

“You work for Sobakin,” Natasha figured. 

“And Viktorov and Stepanov and of course their boss as well,” he said. “You really shouldn’t insult people without knowing their history, my dear.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Natasha countered. Egorov laughed slightly and then snapped his fingers. Loki and Natasha were pushed forward, the guns never leaving their skulls. They followed him through the empty hallways and into what Natasha figured was a storage room. The large drain in the center did not give her much comfort. As they were led deeper into the room Natasha noticed many crates with Russian labels on them. The few that she could make out in the low lighting told her they were freshly from Moscow. No doubt they were going to be used to smuggle things or perhaps even people back into Russia. Her rage simmered in her chest.

When they reached the back of the room, they were met with the three people Nat had been waiting to get her hands on. Yerik Viktorov, Samara Stepanov, and Andrei Sobakin all stood before her with sly grins on their faces.

“Well, what do we have here?” Viktorov asked, taking in the both of them. “Seems like we have some uninvited guests. That isn’t something we tend to like.” 

“Perhaps they could be useful,” Samara said, her Russian accent as thick as Natasha’s once was.

Natasha took a look around the space, gauging her chances. She thought they were decent odds. Armed guards were with the Russian leaders and their smug faces told Natasha that they thought they had captured their prey, but little did they know that next to her, stood one of the most powerful men in all of the Nine Realms.

Loki’s demeanor was calm and focused, but as soon as Sobakin, drew his own weapon and aimed it at Natasha, an ice-cold chill echoed through the room. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger, sorry, but lots of action up next and we get these two fighting together. Should be fun.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this one! more to come


	7. The Black Widow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Loki take on their enemies.

_ “There is no time that you may bide, _

_ Her heart is locked behind steel doors.” - Juan Olivarez _

Natasha figured this wasn’t Loki’s first time in chains, in fact, she knew it wasn’t. 

The clear look of absolute boredom on the god’s face as they were cuffed to two metal chairs was quite comical, it took everything in Natasha not to laugh in the situation. He looked over at her and it was clear that he was just waiting for her signal to take down the bastards before them. Natasha shook her head slightly. He sagged back down in his seat staring daggers into Viktorov who was watching him with the utmost curiosity. 

Natasha should have clocked Egorov sooner. She had thought the domestic chapter of the Bratva would have no interest in foreign bosses coming in on their territory. Clearly, she had been quite wrong. Egorov was smiling at her and Natasha’s hands were curled into fists, the metal cuffs biting into her wrists.

In the low lit storage room, they could still hear the gala only a few rooms away. The guests were completely in the dark on what was happening. Natasha longed at times to be that naive to the dangers of the world. Unfortunately, she had a job to do.

“Do you plan to just stand there all evening, or shall we get on with it?” Natasha said, breaking the silence. The next moment one of the guards struck her across the face. Nat shook the loose hair from her eyes as the sting from the slap dissipated. “You know,” she continued, “the last time I was slapped by a man while tied to a chair, it didn’t end very well for him.”

“You want me to cut your tongue out instead?” Yerik said, brandishing a long knife. 

“Compensating for something?” Natasha teased as she looked at the large weapon. Yerik stepped towards her but Samara stood in his path. 

“No, we need to know what they know,” Samara argued. 

“Who cares what they know,” Yerik said. “The information will die with them.” 

“And if they told people?” Egorov interjected. Yerik lowered his knife at that, his brow furrowing. Loki laughed slightly. 

“Now I see why Miss Stepanov is considered the brain of the operation,” Loki added. Yerik turned his attention to the god and struck him, but Loki barely flinched. Viktorov, however, clutched his hand, glaring at Loki who in return just lazily smiled back. Sobakin then took the chance to step between his co-conspirators. 

“We need to know who you told,” Andrei said. He closed in on Natasha, placing his fingers under her chin. “Tell us what we want to know and we’ll kill you quickly.”

“I think I may have posted it online,” Natasha said as she considered biting his fingers, “or maybe I bought a skywriter. My memory is a bit spotty at the moment, probably the cheap champagne you’re serving.” Sobakin gripped her by the throat and applied a small bit of pressure. 

“You think you’re funny?” he asked. 

“I have my moments,” Natasha whispered. Sobakin squeezed harder. 

“Who else did you tell?” he asked again. 

“Nobody, but you’re not exactly being discreet. I managed to find your warehouse and free the kids in just a day. Do you know what I call that? Amateur hour.” Sobakin released her and Natasha sucked in a breath. She met Loki’s eyes who actually looked a bit concerned. Natasha turned her focus back to the enemy before them.

“You took down an entire squadron of my men by yourself?” Sobakin asked. 

“I had some help,” Natasha said nodding to her partner. “Word of advice, if you’re going to use a security system to lock your doors, make sure all of the windows are closed.” 

“And don’t use idiotic children to be your eyes and ears,” Loki added. Sobakin looked between the two of them. Natasha figured he was trying to guess their relationship or if either of them were lying. However, she knew that he believed her when she said she was the one who broke out his hostages. 

“You think because you have a pretty face that you intimidate us?” Egorov said. “Nobody has ever heard of an Ursula Ander before, my dear.” 

“Perhaps you don’t speak to the right people,” Natasha offered. “I had never heard of you until about an hour ago. You’re not exactly ‘Most Wanted’ material.” 

“And what about your bodyguard here? I didn’t get his name,” Egorov said as he turned to Loki.

“I’m afraid that’s not up for discussion. I like my privacy,” Loki smiled. 

“I don’t care who they are,” Yerik said. “I want to know how they found out about us.” 

“I have my ways,” Natasha explained. “You do realize that nobody is ever truly off the radar, right? I’ve been aware of your sick operation since you left Moscow. My source told me what you are attempting to do here and I hate to break it to you, but you won’t be getting the buyers you want tonight.” 

“We already have many lined up,” Samara informed her. Natasha turned to Sobakin. 

“Why don’t you check your finances, Andrei? Especially the offshore accounts,” Natasha said and Sobakin took out his phone in a flurry. After a moment, he turned the screen to show his partners. The current balance on all his accounts was now at zero. “Just a little something I set up before attending your lovely event this evening. Your generous donations will benefit many orphanages and shelters for battered men and women. They thank you for your help.” Sobakin lunged at Natasha, gripping the back of her head. 

“What have you done?” he sneered. Natasha kept her eyes on him. 

“Where are the other girls?” she said. “Where are you keeping them?” 

“You’ve ruined me. That money was important!” 

“That money was soaked in blood,” she spat. “You profit off the suffering of others, but you’re done now. So, I ask you again,” Natasha pulled against his hand, pain erupting behind her eyes, “where are the other kids?”

“I’m going to kill you slowly,” Sobakin said, “and I’ll make your boyfriend watch.” 

“Hate to break it to you,” Natasha said, “but he’s not my boyfriend and if you were going to kill me, you would have done it already.” Sobakin sneered and then pushed away from her again, pacing back at forth.

“The girls are being held out of state,” Egorov said. 

“Luca!” Yerik yelled. Egorov shrugged. 

“They’ll be dead soon anyway,” Egorov addressed Natasha. “It’s easier to smuggle people from oceanic ports.” 

“West Coast then?” Natasha asked and he nodded. 

“Does that satisfy you, Miss Ander?” he asked, clearly enjoying this. 

“If you wanted a Red Room in the states, why bother still using the one in Russia?” Natasha asked. Samara’s eyes flickered to Yerik before turning to Romanoff. 

“These things take time,” Samara said. “The perfect killer isn’t made overnight. Radicalization takes more time than you think.”

“These women are smarter than you realize,” Natasha challenged.

“Please,” Samara scoffed, "they’re idiots and they’re desperate.” 

“And you’ve taken advantage of their weakness,” Natasha said, shaking her head. “They are children.” 

“They are useful,” Samara smiled. “And soon they will be quite valuable. I mean look what they’ve already done in the city. Marco Mancini sure had it coming.” Natasha’s brows went up at that one. 

“Your girls murdered the Mancini boss?” she asked.

“Of course, he was a snitch,” Egorov said. Natasha looked at Loki who rolled his own eyes. Natasha turned to her enemies once again.

“They were sloppy. It seems like you don’t know how to train assassins at all,” she said. 

“And you do?” Yerik asked. Natasha gauged their reactions to everything she was saying. Their faces said they were ready to kill her and Loki, but their body language told a different story. Yerik was on edge, ready to either start shooting randomly or to run for the hills. Samara looked as if she wanted to kill everyone in the room regardless of which side they were on. As for Sobakin, he looked as if he wanted to scream and cry because his funds had disappeared. Natasha would have liked to see that. 

The only calm ones were the guards and Egorov, but she figured it was because he thought he had already won. The man was more naive than anyone else in the building. If only he knew who really sat before him chained to chairs. Natasha straightened up the best she could. 

“I know of the Red Room. I know how it works, how they are trained, and I know how it was destroyed the first time. The girls who were trained there were brainwashed as small children, willingly given to the institution by their parents. That won’t work here. A domestic Red Room will be a failure,” Natasha explained. Sobakin took a moment from glaring at his phone to smile slightly at Romanoff. 

“Our assets won’t be the first Americans to work for an agency such as this. Many have had success before. One in particular that I can think of has been rather successful in America since long before you were born. Though nobody is aware of his current whereabouts, unfortunately,” Sobakin said and Natasha bristled. 

“The Winter Soldier,” she said quietly.

“Ah, so you know of him?”

“We’ve crossed paths,” Natasha said, the image of Bucky in his black mask was seared into her mind. Her shoulder still hurt occasionally. “He’s different,” Natasha defended. “The Soldier was brainwashed and mind-controlled. He wasn’t doing any of it of his own free will.”

“And you think these beauties are?” Yerik asked, clearly amused. “They’ve been promised many things for their work.”

“Things that you won’t give them, no doubt,” Loki interjected. Yerik shrugged. 

“That’s just business, my friend. It really is becoming more difficult to be the bad guys these days,” Samara added. 

“Must be such a tragedy,” Loki said, the fake sympathy sounding so natural in his silky voice.

“Well when you have men in armored suits and flag-bearing imbeciles running loose, it makes things complicated,” Egorov explained. 

“At least Rogers does things without getting caught or losing all his fortune,” Loki offered and Natasha looked surprised. Loki defending Steve, that was something she never thought she would ever hear. She would never let him live that down.

The attention then turned to Loki as he decided to finally start offering his opinion. From behind a crate, Yerik pulled out a canister and then Natasha was struggling against her bonds as she realized what it was. “Don’t you dare,” she spat. Yerik looked at her, brows raised. 

“Ah, so you’re rather familiar with this method are you?” he said as he took out a flint and steel and struck it before the canister. A blue flame erupted from the torch instantly and Loki flinched. “Afraid of fire?” Yerik asked as he held it closer to Loki.

“Hey,” Natasha said to Loki who looked over at her, trying not to look at the flames. “I think we’ve waited long enough.” 

“You read my mind,” Loki said and then he turned to Yerik and his face changed from the Loki she had gotten to know over the past couple of weeks to the man she had met all those years ago. Natasha smiled. “You can either remove that infernal thing from my face or I will take it from you along with your arm,” Loki threatened calmly. Yerik snorted, dropping the flame slightly. 

“You do realize you are chained to a chair, right?” Yerik asked. 

“Am I?” Loki asked as he then released his hands from his cuffs and held them out before him. Yerik blanched and then Loki broke the chains on his legs and stood, grabbing Yerik by the throat and throwing him across the room. He doused the flame and grabbed the closest guard and snapped their neck.

Chaos erupted instantly. Loki broke Natasha’s chains and she went straight for Samara but was intercepted by a mass of guards. “Where do you people hide?” Natasha asked as she kicked off her heels and attacked the closest one to her. Two guards grabbed Natasha, but she swung up onto one’s shoulders and used the momentum to grab onto the other, taking both down at once.

Loki had just finished taking down another guard while Sobakin, Stepanov, and Viktorov escaped through the back door. With a quick snap of his fingers, he unveiled their weapons. However, Natasha was much quicker without them. 

She was a whirlwind of green velvet as she took down her enemies. Natasha was fueled by her anger, she fought through the many guards who tried to stop her from going after the Russians. Romanoff reached up and took hold of an empty crate, sending it crashing down onto her attacker.

Across the room, Loki was disarming the guards who came at him. It was a similar situation from the Mancini incident. However, he _ was _following Natasha’s lead and not causing such a mess this time. “You humans are so fragile,” Loki said as he held one of the guards by the throat. The man in his grasp looked confused at his choice of words, but Loki just smiled and tossed him aside. “Trigger Finger!” Loki called out to Natasha, “Do you need this?” he asked showing her the second gun he had been holding onto for her. 

“Not now!” Natasha cried out as she kicked one man down while fighting off the other who had her in a headlock. “If one more person chokes me, I’ll return the favor!” she said as she threw her head back, successfully breaking her attacker's nose. Natasha broke out of his hold, and looped her legs around his arm and took him to the floor, throwing a punch to his jaw in the process. 

From behind one of the shelves, Natasha became the target of a semi-automatic, but as the gunman fired, the rifle jammed. Confused, her enemy looked down the barrel to see it encased in a small amount of ice. Loki stood just behind him and as the man turned, he cracked his head against the shelf. Natasha and Loki shared a look. “Apparently, I can control it,” he said. Nat smiled and then got to her feet.

“Look at what you’ve done!” Natasha turned at the voice to see Egorov going for her. She raised her hand to Loki to stop him from intervening. “You’ve ruined everything!” He went to strike her, but she grabbed his arm and slammed it into the nearest surface. Egorov cried out in pain and Natasha brought her knee up and smashed it into his forehead. He grabbed her, lifting her from the floor and throwing her into a nearby crate.

Egorov grappled for her throat, but Natasha had gotten a blade loose from her thigh holster and shoved into his shoulder. Egorov screamed as Natasha dug the knife in, severing the tendon. She retrieved the knife and grabbed him around the neck and flipped them so he was beneath her, 

“Do you want to know what happened to Marco Mancini?” Natasha asked as he struggled from the pain. “He was cowering before me like you are now after my partner and I took care of his henchmen. He died soon after.” 

“You’re a monster,” Egorov spit out. Natasha shook her head. 

“No, I’m not,” she leaned in close to him, “I’m the one who hunts monsters.” Egorov let out a rageful scream as Natasha stood. He went to reach for her, but Natasha grabbed a crowbar off the floor and in a single swing took him out.

Just as she dropped her makeshift weapon, shots rang out and Romanoff dove for cover next to Loki behind a shelving unit. “We have to get to them before they leave,” Natasha said, wiping the blood from her chin. 

“They’re not going to be letting anyone leave,” Loki said, brushing some splinters from Nat’s hair. Natasha ducked as more shots exploded overhead and Loki shielded her, throwing his arms over her head and shoulders. 

“Three shooters, good aim, but we’re faster,” Natasha said as she looked up at him. 

“On your lead." And with one last look at each other, they stood from their hiding spot and Natasha drew her pistol. Loki used his magic to provide cover, throwing things from the shelves while Natasha aimed and with two shots took down two of the gunmen. The last one charged her, but Loki stepped in front of her and kicked the man, sending him through the doors and back out into the hallway.

The guard hit the back wall, knocking himself out in the process. Loki and Natasha exited the storage room side by side and headed down the hallway. As they passed the fallen gunman Loki pulled the gun from his coat and held it out to Natasha who took it her other hand. She clicked off the safety and kept both pistols balanced as they headed back towards the ballroom where a commotion had started.

“This way,” Natasha said, “stay on my six.” Loki nodded as he drew one of his daggers. As he walked behind her, he reached up and tore the bowtie from his neck, undoing his top button. Natasha glanced back at then and shook her head. “Will you stay focused?” she whispered.

“Sorry if that ridiculous thing was choking me,” he said.

“I really wonder about you at times,” Natasha muttered. 

They continued down the hall, tracking along the wall as they listened for threats. Loki covered her back while Natasha kept her eyes forward. As they turned the corner, Natasha pulled Loki to a stop. Standing between them and the doors to the main ballroom was Sobakin and in his hands, was an explosive. It was the same as the one that they had encountered at the warehouse. 

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sobakin said. His eyes were crazed as he stared at them, his hand hovering above the detonator. 

“It’s true what they say,” Natasha said, “money makes people go crazy.” Natasha raised two fingers over her shoulder and Loki moved. In the next second, multiple duplicates of the god appeared throughout the hallway. They had perfected a small collection of hand signals before the gala for situations just like this. After the sudden appearance of Loki’s illusions, Sobakin drew a pistol and started firing at the apparitions. While he was distracted by Loki’s trick, Natasha tackled him, easily maneuvering through the many images of the trickster. 

Sobakin and Romanoff grappled for the bomb. Andrei elbowed her in the face causing Natasha to stumble slightly, rolling off of him. Sobakin got to his feet but was met with Loki’s fist. He went down hard and Natasha lunged for the bomb.

As Loki secured their attacker with some conjured handcuffs, Natasha opened up the explosive. It was an exact copy of the one back in their hotel suite. “Loki, I could use some pliers,” she said, holding her palm up, and in a flash of green the tool appeared in her hand. Natasha got to work on the wires, her attention split between the bomb and the noise coming from the doors ahead of her.

“Can you disarm it?” Loki asked, kneeling next to her. 

“One second,” she said as she peered under the second layer and reached the metal that Loki believed to not be of Earth. Natasha was careful not to disrupt any of the tech in hopes that Tony would be able to give her a better understanding of it when she brought it back.

“Natasha…” Loki said as the noise grew in the other room. 

“Hold on…” she answered. Natasha took a chance and then just tore out the trigger mechanism. She braced herself, her eyes shut tight. She opened one and then the other. She looked up at Loki, “That was lucky.” 

“Bad guys?” Loki reminded, drawing her attention back to the task at hand.

“Right,” Natasha said, picking up her guns and hiding the diffused bomb under a stack of chairs and then they ran for the double doors.

As they entered the chaotic ballroom, people were running everywhere. Guests and staff tried to get through the doors, but armed guards weren’t letting them leave. Natasha scanned the room and then pointed up top. 

“Samara is mine,” she said, her eyes on the woman on the top floor. “Find Yerik!” Natasha called as she headed for the stairs.

“Hey!” Loki called after her. She turned just as her hand met the railing. “Don’t die.” Nat smiled at him. 

“I don’t plan on it,” Natasha said with a wink as she disappeared up the stairs. Loki turned his attention back to the room and then he spotted him. Yerik Viktorov grinned at him from across the room. Loki only had to get through the small army of hired guns to take him out.

With an annoyed sigh, Loki removed his tuxedo jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “You people never learn,” Loki said as he stepped onto the dance floor and then went for the first hostile. 

Guard after guard, they attacked the God of Mischief who couldn’t be bothered with their attempts. Once they realized that he could block most of their bullets, they tried to go hand to hand with their batons. The first guard who tried this, Loki grasped the baton in his hand and broke it with the other before gripping him by the throat and throwing him into the nearest table. 

Two flanked him from either side and Loki unleashed two daggers from his hands, both blades hitting their targets perfectly. He then felt a jolt of electricity course through him from behind. Loki turned to see a taser in the hand of another. “You call that electricity?” Loki quipped before taking him down in a single hit. He refocused again as he cut his way through the many armed men. He side-stepped a woman who attempted to come at him with a knife. He parried with a blade of his own, embedding it in her thing. She countered with a kick to his face that stunned him for a moment before grabbing her and throwing her into a group of her colleagues who were reloading their weapons.

Loki ran for Yerik when two men stepped in front of him, he cracked their heads together and leaped lightly over their unconscious forms. “I’m not supposed to kill you, but I don’t always do what I’m told,” Loki said. Just then two women appeared behind Yerik, both sporting the Soviet Star. 

“Kill him,” Yerik ordered and the two women who couldn’t have been much younger than Natasha attacked. Loki avoided every blow, careful not to cause too much damage to them. Natasha had explained that they were most likely corrupted, tricked into thinking this was something they needed to do. She also added that they were probably tortured at some point whether it was a hot iron or just simple mind games. Loki thought it was probably a mixture of both.

The shorter of the two took a blade from her boot and swiped at his throat. He grabbed her arm, snapping her wrist, but she showed no pain. Loki grabbed her in a headlock, shoving her between himself and the other assassin. “Would you kill your sister to get to me?” he asked. 

“Yes,” the other one bit out.

“Didn’t expect that,” Loki admitted and then shoved his hostage into the other woman. He clicked his fingers and then they were stumbling around as their vision was instantly obscured. It was a spell he tended to use when he didn’t want to harm his enemy. At least, not brutally harm. The taller of the two took out a gun and started shooting wildly in his direction. Loki dodged them all but one. The bullet landing on his upper bicep. It wouldn’t cause damage, but it hurt enough. In a fit of anger, he plucked the gun from her hand and cracked her over the head with it. 

He then turned to the other woman and in a move that he learned from Sif, swept his leg underneath her while grabbing her arm and dislocated her shoulder. She went down hard and after another punch to the face, she was out cold. They would be okay but would have a hell of a headache in the morning.

Viktorov had picked up a fallen weapon and with an accuracy that could rival Barton, shot at Loki. Loki blocked the rounds with his magic, not letting one bullet through. He went to charge Yerik, but the Russian took hold of a guest, placing her in front of him as a human shield. Loki waged his chances. Clearly, this man thought Loki wouldn’t risk the life of the human woman. In most situations he would, but not this one.

“Stand down!” Yerik shouted. The two men circled each other, two predators, ready to strike. Loki could hear fighting up top but ignored it as his eyes fell on the chandelier. Loki then raised his hands in surrender and started to back up. Yerik followed him, walking slowly towards the center of the ballroom 

“What are you going to do with that?” Loki asked pointing to the weapon, “If you think that is going to kill me, then you clearly haven’t been paying attention.” 

“It’s not for you,” Yerik said as he pointed it at the frightened woman. Before Yerik’s finger could even twitch toward the trigger, Loki threw a dagger towards the roof. The blade struck the hanging mechanism for the chandelier and Yerik’s eyes went wide as the massive fixture plummeted towards the ground. Loki dove for the woman as Viktorov’s hold loosened on her. He caught her just as the chandelier crashed to the floor. They rolled out of the way and Loki crouched over her as crystal and glass flew across the dance floor. When everything stopped moving below, Loki looked over his shoulder to see the Russian crushed beneath heaps of debris. He turned away and took hold of the woman cowering below him and listened to what was going on above. 

* * *

Natasha had made her way up the stairs, her guns raised.

Just as she reached the second level, she was met with a kick that sent her to the floor, her guns sliding across the floor from her. The trainees, the women who would become what Natasha had been running from converged on her. She got to her feet quickly.

These girls were good, but she was better. Romanoff fought her way through them, using their own strength against them. They relied on their legs too much and were easy to get off-balanced. Natasha, using one of the columns as support, lashed out at two who were trying to sneak up on her. They ran at her, but Natasha ducked last minute and they collided into the marble column. One got up, the other didn’t.

The woman came after her, almost feral. Natasha blocked every advance, keeping her attacker at bay and getting her tired. Nat’s feet stung from broken glass, but she kept fighting. Nat grabbed her attacker and took her to the floor, but she lost her footing and was flipped overhead. The assassin had her pinned, a blade to her throat. 

“You don’t have to be this,” Natasha said, staring into bright green eyes. 

“What choice do I have?” the woman said. 

“You always have a choice,” Natasha promised and then drove her elbow into the woman’s face. Natasha rolled out from underneath her and swung, landing a blow to her chin and knocking her down. Romanoff turned to find Samara when a knife was plunged into her shoulder.

Nat backed away from the assailant, the woman who she thought she had knocked out earlier. Natasha tore the knife free, cringing as blood dripped down her pale arm. The assassin came at her again, but Natasha countered with a move of her own, swinging up onto the woman’s shoulders and taking them both down to the floor, rolling out of it clumsily due to her injury. She forced the woman to the railing and then pinned her down, adding pressure to the side of her neck. The girl dropped unconscious in the next moment. Natasha checked her pulse and after figuring she was going to be okay, grabbed the knife and faced Stepanov. 

“You’re good,” Samara said. “Who trained you?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” Natasha responded approaching the Russian, “They’re dead.” Samara raised a pistol at her, but then dropped it, spreading her hands. 

“Fair fight?” Natasha threw down her blade and positioned her feet as she wiped the blood from her forehead.

“I don’t think it’s as fair as you think,” Natasha commented. 

“We’ll see.” Samara ran at her and the two women clashed together. They fought through the upper floor of the ballroom. Below, Natasha could hear multiple gunshots and occasionally Loki’s voice as he taunted Vikotorv. She stayed focused, however, as Samara came at her. 

Stepanov was taller than her and her moves were defined, but they were too textbook. Natasha anticipated every strike as it was classic Red Room training. Clearly, they hadn't gotten to the improvisation training yet. Natasha had learned how to think on her feet from many different teachers. From Fury to Steve, she had extensive training of all kinds. She knew how to handle multiple weapons and fighting styles, but the one she excelled at the most was the set of skills she was famous for.

Punch after punch and kick after kick, both Natasha and Samara were each gaining the upper hand. However, while Samara was fighting to kill, Natasha was waiting. She was stalling because she knew that the woman was going to get tired. She hadn’t learned yet how to pace her attacks. Clearly, she wasn’t as highly regarded as the other assassins as she thought.

Natasha dodged another hit, but then Samara landed a blow right at her shoulder wound and Nat’s vision went white for a second at the pain as she bent over. Samara went in for another hit, but Natasha lashed out, landing a strike right below Samara’s chin. Stepanov sputtered as the air left her throat. Natasha stood and converged on her target.

Romanoff took every opening. A kick to the jaw that sent Samara stumbling, two jabs to the side, one more to the sternum. Samara tried to fend off the attacks, but she was still trying to catch her breath. Nat went in for another strike when suddenly the chandelier crashed to the floor.

Whatever Loki was doing down below was enough of a distraction for Samara to land a kick. Her foot made contact with Natasha’s sternum and Romanoff flew backward, rolling across the ground, the air leaving her chest. She got back into a crouch just as Samara approached her. 

“You are a child,” Stepanov said, viciously. “You think you can beat me?” she hollered as she picked up a knife from the ground. “You think you are better than me?” Stepanov shook her head as she gripped the blade between bloody fingers. “You can’t defeat me,” Samara stared down at Romanoff, “I’m the Black Widow.”

The world around Natasha seemed to slow down then, and the only thing she thought to do at that moment after hearing those words slip from Samara’s lips, was to laugh. Natasha’s laughter rang out through the room. It sounded nearly maniacal as she stumbled to her feet. She wasn’t exactly sure what or who she was laughing at, but at this moment, after everything she had been through since she became an Avenger, it seemed right.

Natasha stepped towards Samara, her laughter subsiding. Her dress was stained with blood, but she could no longer feel the pain in her shoulder as she stared right into her enemy’s eyes and said in a deadly calm voice, “There is only _ one _ Black Widow.” Samara’s brow furrowed. Natasha then reached up and grasped the emerald that hung around her throat. She tore the necklace free and dropped it to the floor, letting it slip through the railing to join the other shattered crystal below. 

Natasha pulled her red hair from its knot and let it swing around her face. Samara’s eyes widened as the glamour was stripped. Natasha finally stood before her enemy unmasked and with the facade gone, Natasha smiled wickedly. “Oh, I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

Samara let out a scream and lunged at Natasha. There was no formal moves or well-planted stances. It was a flurry of punches and kicks as they fought. Natasha didn’t hold back once. She kept up her rhythm, going for the vital areas. Two hits to the chest, uppercut the jaw, blow on the top of Samara’s foot, targetting the arch.

The fury on Samara’s face turned to desperation as Natasha gained the upper hand, pinning her against the balustrade. “Traitor!” Samara spat at Natasha. Nat held down her arms as Stepanov struggled. 

“The Black Widow means something now. Something good,” Natasha told her. “I won’t let you take it and soak it in blood once more.”

“That S.H.I.E.L.D. agent should have killed you,” Samara said. Natasha shoved her forearm against Stepanov’s throat. 

“Don’t you dare talk about him,” Natasha threatened. 

“You’ve gone soft, Romanoff."

“No, I haven’t,” Natasha whispered and then took a step back and then kicked Stepanov. Samara fell over the balcony and crashed towards the floor. 

Romanoff approached the edge and peered over. Samara had landed atop of the rather lavish ice sculpture, her vacant eyes staring up at the skylight and into the star-filled night. Natasha found Loki’s eyes and he noticed the lack of jewelry around her neck. She nodded at him. 

Around the room, guests and staff stared up at the Avenger, eyes wide. Though in pain, Natasha took a breath and addressed the room. “It’s over,” she announced. “Anyone who was here to fund a certain project, you’re done.” Natasha stared at the bodies of Yerik and Samara and was relieved to know that at least Sobakin was still alive.

She would have a lot to clean up and the team would have more jobs that had stemmed from this one, but for now, it was over. She had done what she had set out to do. Groans echoed around her as the young women tended to their wounds and realized they were now unemployed. Natasha would make sure they wouldn’t be shipped off to Moscow.

Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom flew open and police pushed their way into the room. They maneuvered quickly through the mess of people and hostiles. “Are you alright?” Loki’s voice came over the com unit.

“Been better,” she admitted.

“That necklace was one of a kind,” he joked and Natasha looked down at him from her spot above. His arms were crossed. She sent him a less kind gesture which only made him smile. 

“It will be sorely missed, Your Majesty,” Natasha quipped.

“I can make you a new one,” he offered. Natasha shook her head. 

“I think I’ll be me for a while.” Loki just shrugged. “Get the bomb,” she said, “and then get out of here. We don’t need the cops asking questions as to who you are.”

“At least my disguise is still full proof,” he said. 

“Go,” Natasha urged and then Loki nodded to her from below and took off towards the hallway where she stashed the explosive. The cops could have Sobakin but she wasn’t leaving Chicago without that weapon. 

Before she ventured below to talk to the officers who had already noticed her and were waving her down, Natasha reached up and pulled her com unit from her ear. She turned it over in her hand and hit the small switch on the back of it. A red light blinked back at her. The distress signal was sent. 

Steve was on his way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was gruesome.
> 
> Upnext we see the calm down from the battle and a couple friends show up. 
> 
> I am not sure what I'll be writing after this, but it should be a little more light-hearted.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with these two! two more chapters to go. One full one and an epilogue


	8. More Than A Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha begins to clean up the mess and she and a god have a few conversations.

_ “A broken heart that will never mend, _

_ The one she loved will ne'er return. _

_ And she will never ever pretend, _

_ Because he was her one concern.” - Juan Olivarez _

Natasha flinched as the paramedic tightened the bandage on her shoulder. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital, Miss Romanoff?” The medic asked for the third time. 

“I’m fine,” she assured the woman, “thank you.” The medic sighed but listened to the Avenger and finished dressing the knife wound. She had also bandaged the head wound Nat had gotten courtesy of one of the spies-in-training. She really hated when they scarred her face.

As soon as the police raided the ballroom, things started to move very fast. Multiple people were arrested, many were taken out on stretchers, and then the questions began. Natasha had held off on speaking to any officers until her shoulder was tended to so they began questioning witnesses and taking statements. 

During all of this, Loki was nowhere to be seen. Natasha wasn’t sure where he had gone off to, but she hoped he had disappeared because he had listened to her and removed the explosive from the hotel.

Since she had revealed her identity, it didn’t take long for the media to show up. One of the officers informed her that there was quite a large press presence outside that would be wanting to talk to her. This didn’t give her much comfort. She never liked speaking to the media, that was more Tony’s area of expertise. 

Nevertheless, she agreed to go and speak to them once everything was situated inside. There was a lot to clean up, but the FBI would be handling a lot of it. They had apparently known of the smuggling operation, but not much else. Natasha couldn’t be bothered with explaining to them that they may need to change the way they investigated foreign affairs. That wasn’t exactly her job at the moment. 

However, her job did entail speaking to law enforcement so as soon as the medic finished her shoulder, Natasha walked among the carnage and began explaining what had happened to the local PD. Most of them shook her hand and thanked her for her service. Others weren’t too happy about her running an operation in their city without their knowledge. “I assure you, officer, that if I had informed local PD, my operation would have gone south almost immediately,” Natasha had explained. She didn’t have the heart to tell the police chief that a handful of his officers were being paid under the table. 

Then again, she wasn’t sure the chief wasn’t being paid off either so she withheld that particular piece of information. Once she had given them the gist of the situation, they then wanted any detail she could give them. When she was asked about her partner she just shrugged and said that it was only her running the operation and if someone had stepped in she had no idea who they were. “Perhaps just a good samaritan?” Natasha offered. The officer clearly wasn’t buying it, but realized that he wouldn’t be getting any other answer from the Avenger and moved on. 

As for Sobakin, he was found chained up in the hallway. Two FBI agents led him through the ballroom and when his eyes landed on Natasha they widened. She waved at him, sending him a wink. The look of shock remained on his face until the agents dragged him from the hotel. Natasha had quite enjoyed that.

Romanoff promised to give the FBI all the information they needed to convict Sobakin and even a little extra to make it look as if he had been responsible for the murder of Marco Mancini. That was a little extra she had thought of last minute.

All of the young women who were dedicated to the cause were arrested as well. Natasha made sure that they would be given fair trials and some even immunity if they flipped on the boss back in Moscow. She also promised the FBI that she would be handling the situation back in Russia with the help of her team. After some consideration, they gave full jurisdiction to the Avengers and let her know that she would be able to access any information she would need.

As police milled throughout the hotel and the grand ballroom, Natasha decided it was time to leave. Samara and Yerik had been taken away by the coroner as soon as possible. As they were removing the chandelier from Yerik Viktorov’s crushed body, Natasha assured the manager of the Grand River Hotel that they would be receiving a check in the mail to pay for the damage she caused courtesy of Stark Industries. She knew Tony wouldn’t mind, at least she hoped so.

Thankfully, a staff member had found her some shoes to wear as well as a jacket to cover the blood that now stained her new dress. This made it much easier to walk out of the hotel to face the many flashing cameras and journalists who called out her name. Natasha’s eyes scanned for Loki in the crowd, but he was still nowhere to be seen. Romanoff schooled her features and then approached the main news camera.

“Agent Romanoff!” The news anchor was yelling, “Can you tell us what happened tonight?” Natasha pulled her jacket tighter around herself and took a breath. 

“For the past couple of weeks, I have been monitoring a situation here in Chicago. Foreign human traffickers were attempting to establish a dangerous organization here on U.S. soil. I managed to free many of the hostages, but unfortunately, some are still missing. Tonight I was able to gain information on their whereabouts and take down the three head organizers. Unfortunately, civilians were caught in the crossfire, but luckily there were no civilian casualties,” Natasha explained. 

“Miss Romanoff,” another journalist said, shoving their microphone forward, “there are reports that you were not working alone. Is that correct?” 

“That’s a rumor. There was a lot going on in that room, plenty of chaos that it would be easy to become confused about who was doing what,” Natasha said. 

“Was this a sanctioned mission from Captain Rogers?” the first journalist asked. 

“This particular mission was one of my own and not in any way connected to the Avengers,” Natasha said, “However, going forward, I intend to work alongside my team for any future operations. I’ll be giving a full statement once the investigation has finished, thank you,” Natasha finished and turned her back on the press.

All she wanted to do was to take a very long nap, get some coffee, and take a much needed hot shower, but first, she had to track down her partner in crime. Natasha had no idea what had happened to her car, but luckily an officer offered to drive her back to the hotel.

The officer didn’t ask her any questions or try to make small talk which she was very grateful for. Instead, Natasha sat in the back of the SUV, letting the blur of the Chicago streets stream past her as they drove West. Once they had gotten well into the drive, Natasha let her eyes close. Her body hurt, a headache was blooming, but the weight that had been crushing her shoulders for weeks was finally lifted. There would be more work to do, but for now, Natasha just needed to breathe. 

The ride took less time then she would have liked and soon they were pulling up to the back of her hotel. “I figured you wouldn’t want to go through the front entrance,” the officer said as he opened the car door for her. 

“Thank you, Officer…” Natasha glanced at his name tag, “Officer Mason.” 

“Don’t mention it, Ma’am. I’m just glad you were here. The City of Chicago owes you,” Mason said offering his hand. Natasha shook it. 

“Have a good night,” she said as she let go and headed into the building. 

“Miss Romanoff?” Mason called causing Natasha to look back over her shoulder. “My father was a firefighter that day in New York,” he said, “You and Captain Rogers saved his life when those things attacked his men as they were trying to help civilians. I just wanted to thank you because I could have lost him that day.” Natasha looked at the young man before her, he was clearly a rookie, probably hadn’t been on the force long. It was then that she noticed the hint of a Queens accent. 

Natasha turned to face him fully, “Your father is a brave man, Officer Mason. As are you. Please thank him for his service for me and thank you for yours.” Mason stood straighter and nodded to her. 

“I will, thank you, Ma’am,” he said and Natasha smiled at him once more before pushing her way through the service door. As soon as it shut behind her, Natasha let go of her brave face. She had tried to remain calm and collected from the moment the police breached the ballroom, but now all she felt was pain. The pain in her shoulder was similar to when Barnes had shot her in D.C. and she knew the scar would be even worse now. 

“Might as well get used to it,” Natasha whispered to herself. After a few more minutes, Nat pushed off the wall and dragged herself to the closest elevator. Luckily, it was well past midnight and the lobby was empty except for a very surprised bellboy and a tired-looking night manager. Natasha half-waved to them and then stepped into the gold elevator. She pressed the button for the penthouse and started the slow ascent to the top floor.

When the doors opened at her floor, the elevator music had already increased her headache. Natasha reached her room and pounded on the door. “Please tell me you’re in there and I don’t have to vandalize any more property!” Natasha called. A moment later and the door clicked open and standing at the threshold was Loki. 

“You look awful,” he noted. Natasha frowned at him. 

“I did get stabbed,” she said as she pushed past him and into the living room. Natasha collapsed onto the couch, cringing at the pain. Loki took the spot next to her, his hands clasped in front of him. “What is that?” Natasha asked, her eyes half-open. She was pointing to something Loki was turning over in his hands. He held it up to her. 

It was a USB key. 

“So, you found it?” Natasha said, “Good.” 

“It was in my jacket,” Loki said, “found it just as I got back. Your sleight-of-hand skills are quite impressive.” Natasha lazily smiled. 

“I do my best.” 

“When did you sneak this into my pocket?” he wondered. 

“When I was fixing your bowtie,” she admitted. “Figured you’d want your information before we went to the party just in case.” 

“You thought there was a chance you wouldn’t make it out?” Loki asked. 

“There’s always a chance,” Natasha told him, shrugging with her one working shoulder.

“Not with me around,” Loki said, poking her knee. Natasha laughed slightly and then winced. 

“Don’t make me laugh,” she groaned. 

“Come here,” Loki said, taking her uninjured arm and pulling her up. Natasha swatted at his hand, but he didn’t let go. Loki rotated to get a better look at her injury and then just as he did with her ribs, he took away the pain. He then grabbed the medical kit she had brought with her to Chicago and went about changing her bandage. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Natasha said. 

“I don’t mind,” He shrugged. 

“You are always so full of surprises, my friend,” Natasha told him, as she picked at the drying blood on her gown. 

“Are we friends now?” Loki asked, amused. “I didn’t think you could make friends.” 

“Rude.” 

“It’s just an observation,” Loki continued, “Though, I suppose as Avengers go, you’re probably the least horrible.” Natasha looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was smiling. 

“You really need to work on your people skills,” she informed him. 

“I don’t like people,” Loki said nonchalantly. 

“Well, there’s a shocker,” Natasha muttered. Loki shook his head, keeping himself busy with her shoulder. “They arrested Egorov and Sobakin.”

“We left two alive, that’s good.” 

“You sure did a number on Yerik,” Natasha said, “Was dropping a chandelier on him really necessary?”

“It got the job done, didn’t it?” he asked, taping down the bandage and tossing away the old one. 

“It was a tad dramatic,” she pointed out. 

“Dramatic like revealing your identity while delivering a clever line?” Natasha smiled. “If anyone is dramatic, it’s you, Romanoff.” Natasha pulled the jacket around her shoulders. 

“I need a shower, think you can conjure me some food in the meantime?” Natasha asked as she headed for her room. 

“Whatever you say, Your Highness.” Natasha threw a pillow at him before she pushed through her double doors.

* * *

Once she had successfully showered without getting her injury wet and stripped off her destroyed ball gown, Natasha dressed in her usual outfit of black and rejoined Loki in the main living room. A pizza was waiting for her. 

“Pizza? How New York of you,” Natasha commented as she picked up a piece, biting into it. “Okay, yeah, this is good.”

“You’re acting as if you’ve never seen food before,” he said. 

“Fighting makes me hungry,” Natasha said as if it were obvious. The light mood then turned serious as she placed down her food and leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees. Loki sensed the change in her mood immediately. 

“What is it?” 

“You need to tell the team about New York,” Natasha told him carefully. 

“No.” 

“Loki…” 

“It’s better if they think of me as a villain,” he told her. He was watching her carefully, making sure she understood he was serious. “They can’t ever know.” 

“Are you so afraid of people caring about you that you won’t even try?” she whispered. Loki shook his head, letting it fall into his hands. His hair was disheveled slightly as if he had been running his hands through it a lot recently. 

“Why is this so important to you?” 

“Because apparently, it’s something that you’ve struggled with. When we were dancing you basically admitted that it wasn’t your idea so maybe if you took the time to explain…” 

“Just because you understand me or tolerate me or whatever it is that is going on here, that does not mean your teammates will. I’ve always been the God of Mischief and to them and to the rest of this planet, I will always be the man who invaded New York with an alien army.” Natasha sighed. She had known enough stubborn people in her life to know when she was beaten. 

“Fine, but I still think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” 

“You and Thor both,” he said lightly. 

“I need you to promise me something,” Natasha began, Loki waited. “I need you to promise that if you ever need help with anything, that you’ll call me or send me a message.”

“And why would I need your help?” he asked. 

“You may not, but you need to know that you’re not alone. You have allies here. Well, you have one ally at least.” 

“Has anyone ever told you that you trust too easily?” 

“That’s just it though,” Nat said, “I don’t. My trust is not so easily given. But there is something about you Loki Odinson. I’m just not sure what it is yet.” there was a beat of silence between them. This past couple of weeks had turned from threatening each other with knives to laughing and sharing their trust. Natasha thought it was insane, but didn’t question it. Stranger things had happened in her life for this to be the weirdest.

“Very well,” Loki said after a moment, “I will make sure to keep you in mind if the universe is ever collapsing in on itself.” 

“That’s all I ask.” 

“And I will keep an eye out for Banner. If the beast isn’t on Earth anymore I’m sure at some point, he’ll cross my view.” Natasha smiled at that. 

“Thank you,” Natasha whispered, “for everything.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Loki said, “and you have to know that I overheard some Midgardians speaking at the Gala before everything went all chaotic. There may be some backlash on the horizon for the Avengers.” 

“I know,” she said. “I overheard something similar before you showed up. We’ll handle it.” 

“I have no doubts about that, Stark is always trying to fix things,” Loki noted with annoyance. “Can I give you some advice though?” 

“On what?”

“Your new little witch,” he said and Natasha nodded after a moment. “She’ll only grow stronger and those powers will be tied to her emotions. Teach her to control her magic, but also her emotions. Teach her to use them as fuel and not as something that would usually be unstable. If done right, she may just be your biggest defense in this world.” 

Natasha had needed to hear that. She had been at a crossroads with Wanda and somehow Loki knew it. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Just then her phone lit up. Natasha reached for it across the table. It was a text. The quinjet was waiting for her. 

* * *

Natasha shrugged on her coat, tying the scarf around her neck.

“Will you be heading back to Asgard?” Natasha asked as she got all of her things together. 

“Yes, I think I’ve left them alone for too long. Who knows what has happened,” he said as he handed her the black case that held both disabled bombs. 

“Well, that’s everything,” she said as she placed down the case. Her backpack was slung over her shoulders while the duffle was slung across her uninjured one. “I’d say don’t be a stranger, but I know you will be.”

“Probably for the best,” Loki said. They were standing in the dark behind the hotel. Natasha had a car waiting for her that would take her to the airfield. 

“You did well this past couple of weeks. One of the best partners I’ve had, I’d say," Nat complimented.

“I’m not surprised to hear that.” 

“Of course you aren’t.”

“You said it, not me.” 

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Natasha said, “I don’t want Thor telling me that his idiot of a brother died _ again _.” 

“I can’t make that promise, but I’ll try,” Loki grinned. “Perhaps we’ll cross paths once again in the future.”

“Maybe even fighting on the same side?” Natasha offered. 

“Why do we have to be fighting at all?”

“Fair enough,” she said.

“You go get the rest of these bastards, alright?” 

“Will do,” Natasha told him.

“Goodbye Natasha,” Loki said softly.

“Goodbye Loki.” Natasha then took a step forward and grabbed him into a hug.

“I didn’t think you were a hugger.” 

“I can be,” she said and then quieter, “You’re more than the villain they make you out to be and one day, Jotunheim will be lucky to have you as their king.” Loki didn’t say anything at her words. He held her back for a moment before Natasha let go and then with one last look, Romanoff took her bags and left the god alone in the dark.

* * *

The sight of the quinjet was a welcome one. 

She paid her driver and then headed across the dark field towards the aircraft. When the ramp lowered, she was surprised to see that it was not Steve, but Tony. “Rogers got called away for a meeting with Secretary Ross. So you got me instead,” Stark said.

Natasha didn’t say anything as she walked right up to him, dropped her bags, and pulled him in for a hug. “Hi,” she said. 

Tony hugged her back, slightly confused, “Since when do you hug?” 

“Since now, I guess,” she said into his chest. Natasha stepped back. “I can’t miss you?” 

“Sure, but just seems a bit out of character. Are you feeling okay? Didn’t get body swapped or something while you were here?” 

“No, just a bit homesick. I guess I needed to be away for me to really miss it.” 

“You missed our military installation?” Tony asked, confused. 

“No, you idiot,” Natasha said with a roll of her eyes, “I missed the people. So I’m a bit sentimental when it comes to my family, shoot me.”

“Ah, I love you too, Romanoff,” Tony said with a grin.

“You’re exhausting already,” she said. Tony laughed and then narrowed his eyes at her. “What?” 

“Who were you working with?” he asked. 

“Nobody.” 

“Natasha I’ve known you for a while now. You have co-conspirator written all over your Russian face,” Tony said, wagging his finger in front of her nose.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Tony eyed her for a moment before shrugging. 

“Whatever, keep your secrets, God knows you have enough of them.” 

“What? And you don’t?”

“Please," Tony scoffed, "the only person I can keep secrets from is Vision and that’s because he’s literally just learning how to understand human behavior.”

“This is true,” Natasha agreed. “We have a lot of work to do. This isn’t finished in the slightest.”

“Didn’t think it would be,” Tony said as he picked up one of her bags. “Come on Romanoff,” Tony slung his arm around her shoulders, “let’s go home.” 

Natasha followed Tony up the ramp and into the jet. As Tony headed for the pilot’s seat, Natasha looked to the sky and just before they took off, there was a slight tremor that rolled across the earth followed by an ice-cold wind that whipped through her scarlet hair.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the wise words of Katy Perry, just because it's over doesn't really mean it's over and if you think it over maybe you'll be comin over...
> 
> because we have a final chapter up next where some things get tied up and a proper goodbye is warranted.


	9. The Trickster and The Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Natasha have a moment.
> 
> Natasha receives a visitor.

_ “War is hell right here on Earth, _

_ Broken men and women mourn. _

_ In this world there is no rebirth, _

_ There are no roses, just bloody thorns.” - Juan Olivarez _

Two Weeks Later.

“Steady…almost there, keep your hands right by your side and your arms straight,” Natasha said, her eyes never leaving Wanda. 

“If I fall, I am blaming you!” Wanda called from above as she tried to keep her balance in the air. 

“I’ll catch you!” Natasha promised. “Okay, now take it down nice and slow, use your magic to cushion the landing.” Wanda nodded and then with a flare of her fingers, slowly lowered to the ground. Her hands wavered, alight with crimson magic and then Wanda yelped and dropped the last two feet. Natasha jolted and rushed forward to the younger girl. 

“So much for catching me,” Wanda said from her spot on the floor. Natasha laughed and offered her a hand. She pulled Wanda to her feet. 

“That was better, much better,” Natasha complimented. “Hell, by next week, you’ll be flying as well as Tony.” 

“I feel like a baby bird with a broken wing,” Wanda admitted. 

“No, baby birds are stupid. They think they can just fly cause they jump from a tree branch. You’re better than a baby bird,” Natasha said and Wanda’s brows went up. “What?”

“You are strange, Natasha,” Wanda said. Natasha furrowed her brow. 

“You’ve met Clint and you think _ I’m _the weird one? Interesting.” That got Maximoff to smile. “Hey, Tony should be done with your suit any day now,” Natasha said as they headed out of the training room and into the sunny afternoon.

“Is he making it red?” Wanda asked. 

“Just as you asked,” Natasha assured her. “You get your own red leather jacket so you don’t have to steal mine.” Wanda smiled, tying her hair back. Natasha watched Wanda as the young woman turned her face to the sky, letting the sun warm her. Since she had come back from Chicago, Natasha had put everything she had into helping Wanda with her training. 

Romanoff already had a plan in motion for the young women who were coerced into the Red Room program and Tony and Vision were looking into the explosives. She had given everyone a full debrief when she had returned and they all had agreed to work with her on this.

Over the next two weeks, things had returned to normal. Natasha had gotten back into a routine and spent time with her family. She went on morning runs with Steve and Sam, hung out with Tony when he was Upstate working in his lab in the early hours of the morning, and of course, began training Wanda more and more.

More than once her thoughts drifted to Asgard. She hadn’t heard from Loki and she hadn’t expected to. Their departure from each other was rather rushed, but their partnership was never supposed to last longer than a few weeks. However, she found herself missing his occasional quips and harmless teasing. Loki understood her and Natasha related to him and it was refreshing, to say the least. A part of her was hoping that they would cross paths sooner than later. Natasha owed him for his help and of course all the times he had saved her life. It was an unlikely partnership that somehow may have just become a friendship. 

“What are you thinking about?” Wanda asked, pulling Natasha from her thoughts. 

“Nothing,” Natasha said. 

“I do not have to read your mind to know something is going on, Romanoff,” Wanda said. Natasha looked at her for a moment, thinking back to when she first met the witch. 

“Do you think people are inherently evil?” Natasha asked. Wanda thought about it for a moment. The two women began walking around the grounds, listening to the quiet forest that surrounded the Compound.

“No,” Wanda answered, “I think people can become evil, but no, I don’t think it is built into them. Why do you ask?” 

“Just needed another person’s perspective, I guess,” Natasha said. “But do you think people who have done bad things can change?” 

“I did,” Wanda told her, “so did you. So did Stark. Anything, even if it is small can be considered bad or evil, but I think anyone can come back from something if they are willing. But others are sometimes too far gone, I guess.” 

“How do we know if they are too far gone?”

“Maybe because they are not willing to try and change?” Wanda offered. Natasha thought about it for a moment before nodding. She smiled at Wanda. 

“I thought I was supposed to be the teacher,” Natasha joked. 

“I am full of surprises,” Wanda said. Natasha pulled Wanda to a stop. They were in front of the hangar. She could hear someone, most likely Sam, working inside. “What is it?” 

“You’re going to be okay, Wanda,” Natasha told her. Wanda looked back at her, her brows pulled together lightly. “It’s going to take time, but you’re going to be okay. You’re not alone in any of this and I’m sorry I left for so long.” Wanda looked away, but Natasha took her hand. “I won’t let you disappear into yourself.” Wanda nodded, still not looking at Natasha and that is when Nat realized there were tears falling from Wanda’s cheeks. 

“I miss him,” Wanda whispered. Natasha grasped Wanda’s face in her hands, wiping the tears away. 

“I know,” Natasha told her. “And you always will, but you have a hell of a life ahead of you Wanda Maximoff. You are going to be a force to be reckoned with.” Wanda nodded, trying to stifle her tears. 

“Thank you,” she said softly. 

“How about we go see what Sam is doing and then I’ll order food from that Indian place you like?” Nat offered. 

“Yes,” Wanda said, wiping her tears away, “that sounds good.” Natasha slung her arm around Wanda’s shoulders as she took them towards the hangar. It would be a slow process, but Natasha was willing to work with Wanda and get a firm trust between them. She cared about the girl and would do anything to protect her. Even if that meant from her own thoughts.

* * *

Natasha collapsed into bed after yet another harrowing training session with Steve. 

Why Steve thought she had the endurance he did she will never understand. The man needed to take a break for a few days. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the building around her. Between her own training and her work with Wanda, Natasha was running on fumes these days. 

Sleep was very much needed at the moment and as she got up to finally rest for the evening, something caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed it. Sitting on her windowsill was a little spider figurine. She picked it up and nearly dropped it. It was made of ice. Ice that was imbued with magic. Romanoff looked around and then she saw him. Loki Odinson was standing on her balcony, her eyes grew wide and he winked at her. Natasha grabbed her sweatshirt and slid open the door, stepping out into the cool evening.

“It won’t melt,” Loki said, crossing one ankle over the other. “Just don’t tell anyone who gave it to you.” 

“What are you doing here?” Natasha asked. 

“Well, I’m not really _ here, _” he said as he lifted his hand and waved it through the balcony railing. It shimmered in the bright green color of his magic. Loki was projecting himself down to Earth. “I can’t exactly leave Asgard at the moment and I don’t think your roommates would appreciate my sudden appearance.”

“No, I don’t think they would,” Natasha said, “It’s good to see you.” Loki smiled. He was dressed in his usual Asgardian armor, the green and gold shining under the moonlight.

“You too,” he said and then nodded towards the small table she had. There was a wooden box there. “Just a little something to say thank you for not telling the world that I am currently still breathing.” Natasha narrowed her eyes but picked up the box nonetheless. 

Inside were two things. One was a dagger that looked as if it should be in a museum under heavy lock and key. “It’s gorgeous,” she said lifting it from the box and weighing it in her hand.

“I had initially had it designed for my mother, but…” Loki trailed off and Nat looked up at him surprised. “It needed to be used by someone who knows how to handle a weapon. It’s Asgardian steel, the same stuff that our armor and weapons are made out of. The blade will never dull.” 

“I’m honored,” Natasha said looking down at the weapon that was made for Frigga, a knife designed for a queen. Before she got too emotional over a blade, she looked at the other item in the box. It was a white crystal around the size of a pinball. “Am I supposed to guess?” she asked holding up the crystal to the light. 

“It’s a beacon,” he told her. “We’ve used them for centuries. They act as a direct line to the Bifrost. If you ever need help, this will alert the gatekeeper to bring you to Asgard. And when I say help, I mean if you are on the brink of death Romanoff not for some universal first aid.” Natasha turned the crystal over in her hands. 

“Why?” she asked. “Why give this to me?” 

“Does there have to be a reason?” 

“There is always a reason when it comes to you, Odinson,” she said. 

“I like you, Romanoff,” he admitted, “As strange as that is, I like you. You’re clever, brave, and you put up with me and my antics. And if I am being honest…”

“Which you always are,” Natasha added.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he finished. Natasha put down the box. “Before you freak out, this is not a marriage proposal. Platonic only, alright Trigger Finger?” Natasha grinned at him. 

“Loki,” she said, “are you saying that you _ care _about me?” Natasha teased. 

“You are a nightmare,” he told her and she was reminded of the first time she had said that to him behind the church all those weeks ago. 

“I didn’t know you could make friends.” Loki rolled his eyes. 

“Very funny,” he said. Natasha’s grin widened, “Yes, okay, I care about you and I don’t want you to die. Are you happy?”

“Quite,” she admitted. “I’ll keep those words freshly in my mind for as long as I live.” 

“I’m sure you will,” Loki sighed. 

“Thank you for these,” she said, gesturing to the box. “And the spider. They mean a lot.” 

“Well you gave me something, so why not?” Loki said. 

“But did I?” Natasha asked, leaning on the railing across from him. Loki narrowed his eyes at her. 

“There was nothing on that USB key was there?” 

“There was,” Natasha said, “but it was just a photo of Thor passed out on the couch.” Loki rolled his eyes.

“When did you know I was lying about Jane?” he asked. Natasha crossed her arms. 

“Not long after you told me,” she admitted. “Jane Foster is a genius but she wouldn’t be able to find Thor. Hell, if she could, I’d have her looking for Bruce.” Loki grimaced. “You could have just told me the truth.” 

“What? That I was tired of sitting on a throne pretending to be my father so I decided to see what the Midgardians were up to?” He offered. 

“Seems pretty easy to me,” Natasha noted. 

“Would you have believed me? Because to me that sounds like a very vague answer and knowing you, you would probably think I was up to something.”

“I always think you’re up to something,” Natasha told him. “Doesn’t really matter what you tell me.”

“That’s comforting,” Loki said. “So, you knew I was lying and yet you still wanted me to help you. Why?”

“You had skills that I needed and I was curious about you as well. I have never been able to get inside your head.”

“I disagree,” Loki said, “I believe that you have succeeded in that endeavor more than once since we met.” 

“I guess I just haven’t been paying attention.”

“Unlikely.” Natasha laughed. 

“I took your advice on Wanda,” Natasha said suddenly. “And it worked so thank you.” 

“The little witch is getting stronger isn’t she?”

“Every day,” Natasha nodded. “You were right about her emotions. I’ve gotten her to open up to me and her training has benefitted from it greatly. She’s incredible.” 

“She has a good teacher,” he complimented.

The two of them stayed out on that balcony for a while. Natasha didn’t know how much time he had to visit her, but she was taking advantage of their brief reunion. They talked about everything from what was happening with the Russian investigation to the newest gossip at the palace in Asgard. Romanoff told him that Egorov and Sobakin were both in prison and that none of the women who were under their control would be liable for what happened. Though some would be put under house arrest.

Asgard was apparently flourishing in comparison to Earth. According to Loki, he had started to build up a theatre program for the inhabitants of the Aesir world. Natasha hadn’t been surprised to hear that at all. She always knew he had a love for dramatics even if he thought she was the one who enjoyed putting on a show.

Natasha told him about their search for any of the remaining space rock and said that he was right in that it was just a freak crash of scrap metal. Loki prattled on about his new initiative on Asgard to increase the wealth in some of the lower class areas and to repair anything that he had a part in destroying in previous years. When he mentioned the statue he was planning on building as a false memorial to himself Natasha had laughed so hard he had to wait many minutes for her to calm down. 

This continued well into the night and by the time Natasha glanced at the clock back in her room, it was nearly three in the morning. “You should get some sleep,” Loki told her. 

“So should you, you look tired,” Natasha said and it was true. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in a few days. Something was keeping the God of Mischief from getting rest. 

“Just have a lot to worry about and do here,” Loki said. 

“Thor will be fine,” Natasha said softly. 

“I know that. He’s too stubborn to die.” Natasha got to her feet, her legs sore from sitting on the ground for so long.

“Do me a favor?” she asked. 

“What is it?”

“Don’t worry about becoming like him,” Natasha began. “Odin, he may have raised you but you are not your father, either of them. Don’t try to one-up Odin or takedown everything he built. Just..._ be better. _ Because you already are. Make the title God of Mischief mean something more than just the man who invaded New York.” Loki looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. 

“You do always know the right things to say, Romanoff,” he said. “Thank you.” 

“Remember the promise you made to me. I’ll be there if you need me.”

“I remember,” he promised. “Can you do me a favor as well?” Natasha nodded. “Don’t give up on this,” he said gesturing around them. Natasha’s brow furrowed. “Family is complicated and it’s hard. I never appreciated mine because I never thought I was worthy of them. You have a good one, don’t screw it up.” 

“I promise,” she told him. “I’ll keep the Avengers together.” 

“As long as they’re not coming after me, I think that’s a great idea. You take care of yourself, Agent Romanoff.” Natasha smiled slightly. 

“You too, Your Majesty.” Loki gave her one last look and then slowly, he faded away with a green flash. 

Natasha let out a breath as she stared at the space he was just in. She had never thought that Loki Odinson would be the person she related to most. She was just a spy with a violent past while he was the mischievous trickster that the universe knew only as destructive. They were an odd pair, but they worked and Natasha Romanoff knew that he meant it when he said that if she needed him he would be there. 

She didn’t care about what he had done and he didn’t judge her for her past mistakes. Neither of them was inherently evil and they had become who they were because they wanted to, not because someone forced them. It may have taken a while for both Natasha and Loki to realize what they wanted in their lives, but they both got there in the end. 

Natasha leaned against the railing, looking up at the night sky. The ground beneath her feet felt sturdier and her mind was clearer. She’d be alright, the team would be alright. No matter what happened next, no matter who came for them, they would stay together because they needed it. Natasha needed her family and whether they knew it or not, they were better together and they always have been. 

Loki had said there were bigger and worse things out there than him and that she would have to be ready. Natasha looked across the grounds and then at the small ice spider on her windowsill and she knew that when the time came that they had to face whatever was coming, she wouldn’t be alone because even if the whole world was against her, she had at least one ally on her side. One that was the ice to her fire and that was all that mattered. 

The End. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story! I enjoyed writing it very much. As of right now, it is a standalone as I have no intention of writing a sequel, but who knows? Maybe one day.
> 
> If you are interested, I have a five-part (with a 6th extra story) series about Peter Parker and his life with the Avengers, as well as a Wanda and Tony centered trilogy that I love very much! Thank you for your comments! 
> 
> This is my 10th story just in time for my 1 year anniversary on this website and I can't wait to write more! 
> 
> Also, the poetry excerts at every chapter is a poem that I think really relates to Natasha. It is called "Ice Cold Heart" by Juan Olivarez.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the start.
> 
> More to come soon! I hope you will continue on their journey. I love the idea of this partnership and I thought I would have some fun with it.


End file.
